Twilight's Realm: Advanced Generation
by ArtemisArrow45
Summary: Kicked out of her Brother's wedding and betrayed by her friends, Twilight Sparkle is offered a chance by Arceus to go to the world of pokemon and start her life over. As she arrives, she is found by Ash Ketchum and his partner Pikachu and together they will travel through the Hoenn Region to become the very best like no one ever was. Adopted from True Master.
1. Chapter 1

"Why... Why d-did they abandon m-me" Twilight sparkle had been crying for hours. Her eye were red and her mane was a mess. She remember what happen at Canterlot today and yesterday.

 _Flashback_

Twilight's brother Shining Armor was getting marry to Twilight's old Foalsitter Princess Cadance of the Canterlot. Twilight was delighted that she was going to have Cadence as her Sister-in-law, but Cadance wasn't herself and Twilight knew this.

 _Location: Royal Caterlot Kitchen_

"Alright Cake, check. Ice sculpture, check. Best darn bite-size apple fritter you ever tasted…?" Applejack said stuffing an apple fritter into Twilight's mouth.

"Mmm. Check." Twilight said with a smile. "Alright I think that everythi- O Hiya, Princess!" Applejack said as she and the other bakers began to bow.

"Please, call me Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." Cadance said sternly. Twilight just rolled her eyes at her statement.

"Hiya, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. You come to check out what's on the menu for your big day?" Applejack asked

"I have!" Cadance said with a smile but quickly turned into a frown when Applejack's back was turned. Twilight noticed this right away and narrowed her eyes at the pink Alicorn. Applejack quickly grabbed a tray of apple fritters and presented them to Cadance who pick one up with a magic and quickly ate it.

"Delicious! I love-love-love them." Cadance said with a nervous laugh.

"Aw, shucks. Why don't you take a few to go?" Applejack said giving a bag of fritters to Cadance. "I know how you brides can be. So busy, you forget to get a little somethin' in your belly." She said. Cadance accepted the fritter, but once again when Applejack's back was turned she threw the fritter in the trash. Twilight was shocked by what she had just seen.

Applejack, Did you see what she…" Twilight found she was talking to herself as Applejack and the other bakers continued to work.

 _"Why would she lie to Applejack like that."_ Twilight thought to herself before running to her next assignment. As she was running, a small gold portal opened and a shadow on the other side was watching Twilight.

" _Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic. Hmmm, I maybe I should keep an eye on this young mare_." The shadow said as the portal closed.

 _Location: Cadance's Bedroom_

"I don't really see a problem Darling." Rarity said working Cadance's wedding dress.

"But Rarity, you should have seen how she acted back there. I don't know when she changed, but she changed! "Please, call me Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." Twilight said imitating Cadance.

"Did I hear someone say my name?" Twilight and Rarity turn to see Cadance and her Bridesmaids walking in. Rarity stopped what she was doing and bowed.

"Your highness! Let me just start by saying what an honor it is to play a role in such a momentous occasion." Rarity said with a nervous chuckle.

"Uh-huh. Is my dress ready?" Cadance said pushing Rarity out of her way.

"Yes, of course. Um, I've been working on it ever since I was given the assignment, and I think you'll be pleased with the results!" Rarity said proudly. Cadance wasn't impressed.

"I was hoping for something with more beading and a longer train." Candace said walking away.

Rarity immediately grabbed a notepad and a quill. "Oh, yes, of course." She said writing down the princesses instructions. Cadance then walked over to her bridesmaid's dresses.

"And these should be a different color." She demanded, but her bridesmaid were against the idea.

"I think they're lovely." Twinkleshine said with a smile

"Me too!" Minuette said nodding her head.

"I love them." Lyra said. Cadance then glared at the three mares causing them all to look away.

"Make them a different color." Cadance demanded before walking out of the room. Rarity nodded and got right back to work, but Twilight on the other hoof.

"Gee, maybe her name should be "Princess Demandy-pants." She said before walking out of the room.

As Twilight left, another small golden portal opened and the same shadow was watching Twilight.

" _Odd as I recall, Princess Cadance is suppose to be the Princess of love...yet I don't sense any love or positivity coming from her. Hmmm...maybe is onto something_." The shadow said before the portal closed again.

Twilight really wasn't liking the way Cadance was treating her friends, just a few minutes ago she went with Cadence to check on Pinkie's end of the wedding party and Cadence just insulted Pinkie's Party saying it was more fit for a six year old's birthday party. Pinkie didn't mind the insult, but Twilight did and she was not happy.

After all was done for the day, the Mane Six decided to grab some drinks at a local café.

"Bet I can guess what you're all thinking. Cadance is the absolute worst bride-to-be ever." Twilight said taking a seat Rarity. Everypony plus spike gave her a look of shock and confusion.

"Twilight, whatever are you talking about? Cadance is an absolute gem!" Rarity said before taking a sip of her juice.

"Rarity, she was so demanding!" Twilight said.

"Well, of course she is! Why shouldn't she expect the very best on her wedding day?" Rarity said shrugging her shoulders.

"Applejack, did you know that after she told you how much she just 'love-love-loved' your hors d'oeuvres, she threw them in the trash?" Twilight asked.

"Aw, she was probably just trying to spare my feelin's." Applejack said before drinking here soda. Just then another golden portal opened up and the same shadowy figure was watching.

"So these are the other element bearers." The shadow said as he watched them carefully.

"No, she was just being fake and totally insincere!" Twilight said sternly.

"She did raise her voice at one of my birds during rehearsal." Fluttershy said.

"See? Rude!" Twilight said crossing her hooves with a smile on her face.

"But he was singing really off-key." Fluttershy said as the bird in question landed of her hoof and began to sing very off-key

"Oh come on! Rainbow Dash, you're with me, right?" Twilight said looking to the Element of loyalty for back-up.

"Sorry, Twi. Been too busy prepping for my sonic rainboom to pay much attention to the bride's bad attitude." Rainbow said stretching her wings and hooves. The shadowy figure didn't like that answer and neither did Twilight.

"UGH!" Twilight growled. Rarity then put a hoof on her shoulder.

"Twilight dear listen please, the princess is about to get married. I'm sure any negative behavior she might be displaying is simply the result of nerves." She said. Twilight then stood up and slammed a hoof on the table.

"And I'm sure it's the result of being an awful pony who doesn't deserve to even know Shining Armor, let alone marry him!" Twilight said angrily.

" Twi don't you think you're bein' just a tiny bit possessive of your brother?" Applejack asked. The rest of the mare agreed with only fueling Twilight's anger and the Shadowy figure saw this.

 _"How can they say that, they should at least give her the benefit of the doubt_." The shadow said angrily.

"I am not being possessive, and I am not taking it out on Cadance! You're all just too caught up in your wedding planning to notice that maybe there shouldn't even be a wedding!" Twilight said before stomping off. " _How can they not see how cruel she's acting, fine if they won't listen then I'll have to talk to Shining Armor. Hopefully he'll listen to me_." Twilight thought said she headed to her brother room.

The shadowy figure watched as Twilight head to her brother quarters and then back at her friends. " _If these are the new element bearers I wonder how long Equestria will last. is right something is going on here, I've meet Princess Cadance she has never acted like this before. Hmmm… I should stay close to just in case she's in danger."_ The Shadow said before closing the gold portal.

 _Location: Shining's room_

Twilight had just gotten to her brother's room only to walk in to see him talking to Cadance. "Oh Hey Twily, can you give us a minute." Shining asked. Twilight nodded and left the room. "I said I like it and I think I should wear it." Shining said. Twilight heard this and decided to eavesdrop. Soon another gold portal opened and the shadowy figure watched Twilight eavesdrop on her brother and Cadance..

"Are you disagreeing with me?" Cadance asked sternly.

"I guess I a- AH!" Shining shouted as he grabbed his head in pain. Twilight and the shadow both saw this and they both had worried looks on their faces.

"Oh dear, Are you getting another one of your headaches?" Cadance asked before she shot Shining with her magic causing his to turn green for a few seconds. Twilight and the Shadow both gasped at what they saw.

"W-What did you just do?" Twilight asked herself. The Shadowy figure on the other hoof knew exactly what was going on.

"I should have known, That's not Princess Cadance." The Shadow said angrily.

"Feeling better now dear?" Cadance asked as Shining stood up and nodded.

"She isn't just unpleasant and rude. She's downright evil!" Twilight said before running out the door. Shining then walked over to the door only to see his sister running away.

"Twilight!" He shouted, but she ignored him and kept running.

"Let her go, she'll be fine." Cadance said nuzzling Shining. Shining nodded.

The Shadow was not happy with this turn of events. " _This is bad, no calm down everything's going to be alright. Ms. Sparkle will gather her friends, tell Celestia and this whole mess will be over by tomorrow morning_." The shadow said hopefully before closing the portal.

Twilight was too late, Cadance had already gotten to her friends and made them the new bridesmaids for the wedding. Each of them saying how amazing Cadance was and how Twilight was wrong about her. "I guess I really am on my own." Twilight said as a single tear fell from her eyes.

 _Location: Rehearsal room_

During the wedding rehearsal, everypony was taking their place for the wedding, but Shining raised an important question.

"Hey... has anypony seen Twilight?"He asked and just as he did the doors of the rehearsal room flung open, revealing an angry Twilight.

"I'm here! I'm not gonna stand next to her! And neither should you!" She shouted. Just then a golden portal opened up and the shadowy figure watched in silence.

"I'm sorry, I... I don't know why she's acting like this." Shining said with a nervous chuckle.

"Maybe we should just ignore her." Cadance said Harshly. Twilight glared at the pink alicorn.

"You have to listen to me!" Twilight said angrily.

"Oh, goodness! Are you okay?" Flutteshy said with concern in her voice.

I'm fine, but I've got something to say! She's evil!" Twilight said pointing at Cadance. Everypony in the room was shocked by what she had just said, but Shining Armor wasn't buying it and stood in front of Cadance.

"She's been horrible to my friends, she's obviously done something to her bridesmaids, and if that wasn't enough, I saw her put a spell on my brother that made his eyes go green." Twilight said still glaring at the alicorn.

Why are you doing this to me?!" Cadance said as she ran away in tears

"Because you're evil!" Twilight said with smile

"Twilight why did you do that" Her brother demanded as he walked over to his sister.

"Because she cast a spell on you, she's evil" Twilight said.

"Evil?!" said Shining armor clutching his head which was in pain. "Candace hasn't been casting spells on me. She's been using her magic to heal me!" He said. This information shocked Twilight, but before she could say anything Shining continued his rant.

The shadowy figure only growled at this, but kept his cool and continued to watch.

"She's been completely stressed out because it's really important to her that our big day be perfect! Something that obviously wasn't important to you! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and comfort my bride. And you can forget about being my best mare. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't show up to the wedding at all." Shining said turning his back to Twilight and leaving the rehearsal room.

Twilight friends and Princess Celestia were not happy with her"C'mon, y'all. Let's go check on the princess." Applejack said as she the others to check on Cadence

Twilight try to talked to Princess Celestia, but...

"You have a lot to think about" she said harshly.

Twilight was alone. Not only did she lose her brother, but she also lost her friends and lost Princess Celestia's trust. Twilight was in tears and teleport back to Ponyville library.

The shadowy figure was beyond angry not just because "Cadance" fooled them all, but all of Twilight's friends and her Mentor turned against her.

" _How could they…...How dare they do that and they call themselves the Bearers of Harmony, what a joke." The shadow said angrily. "She didn't deserve that, she deserves better….It's time I intervene_." The shadow said before closing the portal.

 _End of Flashback_

Twilight was so heartbroken, she decide to get a drink of water to calm her nerves. As Twilight came downstairs, she notice the elements of harmony and looked at them with disgust.

"Magic of friendship huh?" Twilight said furiously as she used her magic to throw the elements across the room.

"Magic my flank!" Twilight screamed as she broke down once again.

While Twilight was crying though, A golden portal opened up behind her. "Hello there, young one." the voice said.

Twilight quickly turn around to see a weird creature floating in the room. It was a white equine looking creature resembling a qilin or centaur with a gray, vertically-striated underside. The striated pattern has similar recurrences on the underside of its mane, tail, and face. Its four pointed feet are tipped with gold hooves. Its long mane juts away from its head, and its face is gray, with green eyes and red pupils, and a green circular pattern below its eyes.

" W-who are you and what are you?" Twilight asked wiping her tears.

"I'm Arceus, the legendary Alpha Pokemon" The one known as Arceus said as he landed in front of the purple mare. Twilight was both amazed and confused by what he said.

"What's a Pokemon?" She asked curiously Arceus then looked at the young mare and chuckled.

"Pokemon are creatures with mystical power that live in the world I come from and I am the ruler of that world." Arceus said. Twilight had so many questions for the Alpha pokemon.

"The world you come from, you're from another world? Oh my gosh this is so amazing….Wait you're the ruler of your world? " Twilight asked before bowing. Arceus chuckled.

"Rise Twilight Sparkle, you need not bow to me. I'm guessing you are wondering why I'm here" Arceus said. Twilight nodded. "You see, I'm an old friend of Princess Celestia's. She and I met along time ago, I helped her and her sister seal away a great evil that plagued Equestria over a thousand years ago." Arceus said.

"Are you talking about Discord?" Twilight asked. Arceus shook his heads

"No it was a demon named Tirek and believe me he makes Discord look like a teddy bear." Arceus said. Twilight felt a cold chill up her spine after hearing that.

" _Why do I feel like that information will come back to bite me_." Twilight thought to herself

"But we're getting off topic, you see throughout the day I've been keeping an eye on you as well as the other bearers of Harmony and I must say I am not happy." Arceus said sternly. Twilight shuddered at what Arceus said, was he here to punish her.

"I saw what your brother, your friends and Celestia did to you. They had no right to treat you like that." Arceus said. Twilight's eyes widened in shock.

"Wait so you're not here to punish me?" Twilight asked.

.

"Of course not, you're not the one I'm cross with. Celestia should have listen to you and your so called friends should have stood by you. So since I can't trust my old friend teach you, I guess it's up to me." Arceus said.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked suspicious of the Alpha Pokemon's intentions.

"Twilight Sparkle, I offer you a chance to go to the world of Pokemon." Arceus said. Twilight was shocked once again.

"y..y...You want me to go with you?" Twilight asked. Arceus nodded.

"Yes you see, there is a young boy that I am keeping a close eye on and I believe he can help you smile again. He has a very kind heart and has help people and pokemon alike in his travels. I have faith that if you travel and get to know him, he can restore your faith in the magic of friendship." Arceus said proudly. Twilight thought about Arceus offer.

" _This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I get to explore a whole new world and research a whole new species….But, what about_ …" Twilight stopped herself looked at the elements that she'd thrown across the room. " _They wouldn't care, my so called 'friends' and brother don't care about me or my feelings. Celestia didn't really care about me either now I think about it, the only real reason she took me as her student was to save her sister and what did she get after saving her...a thank you and sweet lies about 'friendship_." Twilight thought as tears streamed down her muzzle.

Arceus saw this and felt bad for the young mare. "If you wish not to leave your home and family, I understand." He said, but Twilight shook her head.

"It's not that, I'm sure they'll all be just fine without me and besides all they cared about was the bucking wedding." Twilight said angrily.

"Ms. Sparkle, language please." Arceus said. Twilight quickly covered her muzzle.

"I'm sorry, I'm just-" "I understand, but that's why I want you to come with me." Arceus said cutting Twilight off. Twilight nodded and looked over to the Element of Magic that was on the floor with the others, she then levitated it onto her head and decide to keep it for herself.

"Equestria will have to find a way to survive without my element." Twilight said coldly. Arceus saw this, but said nothing as this was she choice to make. Twilight then turned back to Arceus.

"Arceus, I would like to take your offer and venture in the world of Pokemon." said Twilight proudly.

Arceus nodded and he began to glow. Just then, a golden portal opened behind Twilight. "Just step through the portal Ms. Sparkle and your journey will begin." He said. Twilight looked at the portal and smiled a bit.

"Well this is, goodbye Equestria." Twilight thought as she began walking toward portal. "Wait how am I supposed to find this boy you mentioned, what's his name?" Twilight said in a panicked tone. Arceus chuckled.

"His name is Ash Ketchum." Was all Twilight heard before Arceus disappeared into a different portal.

Twilight saw the Alpha pokemon leave and proceeded through the gold portal. "Ash Ketchum, huh?" Twilight thought as the golden light of the portal enveloped her body.


	2. Chapter 2

_Location: Seafoam Island Ferry_

 _Narrator: After a quick stop in Pallet town, Ash and Pikachu boarded a ferry headed to the Hoenn region in search of new challenges and adventures_.

"Ready Pikachu?" Ash said as he and Pikachu were on a high diving board about to jump into a pool.

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu said with a smile.

"Alright let's go!" Ash said as he jumped off diving board. As the pair landed in the water, they quickly resurfaced and looked at one another.

"Feels great, right Pikachu?" Ash asked smiling at his partner.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said before slashing some water in Ash's face.

"Oh you think you're funny huh, well try this!" Ash said before splashing Pikachu and before long the two were in a full on water fight.

 _Pokemon: Master Quest_

 _A/N: Yes I know this is the 'Advanced Generation', but Ash isn't in Hoenn yet. So until he is enjoy the 'Master Quest' theme._

The sun was setting and Ash and Pikachu were both laying on a beach chair.

"The Hoenn region it won't be long now, I bet once we get there we're going to meet tons of new pokemon and lots of awesome trainers too Pikachu." Ash said.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said with a smile.

"First things first though, we have to go and see Professor Birch in Littleroot Town. We promised Harrison we would after all." Ash said.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said with a nod. Just then, the captain of the ship and his Machoke was passing by doing their daily rounds.

"Excuse me captain." Ash said.

"Hmmm yes young man, what can I do for you?" The captain asked.

"Can you please tell me when this ship will get to Littleroot Town?" Ash asked with a smile.

"Let's see, if we stay on our current course...we should be there by tomorrow night." The captain said.

"Great, hey thanks." Ash said.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said thanking the captain as well.

"Is this your to the Hoenn Region son?" The captain asked.

"Yes sir." Ash said with a nod.

"I would imagine it must be kinda lonely traveling all by yourself like that." The captain said.

"Nah I'm not lonely at all not as long as I have Pikachu with me, right buddy?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said with a smile. "I see you and your Pikachu must be very close friends." The captain said.

"Ma,Machoke!" Machoke agreed. Unbeknownst to Ash and the captain, three shady and recurring figures were spying on them in a lifeboat.

"Ha, like two sitting Psyduck." Jessie said.

"With you know who just right for the plucking." James said.

"Yea getting ahold of that Pikachu should be a piece of cake now that there's only one twerp instead of three." Meowth said with a sinister grin.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said appearing behind the trio.

"Not only that, today we open a brand new chapter in Team Rocket History." Jessie said with a smile.

"Oh Yea, It's the new and improved us." Meowth said.

"That's right and the first step to further enhancement is to put Pikachu permanently in our possession. Do you read me?" Jessie asked.

"10-4!" James Meowth said simultaneously.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said with a nod.

 _Timeskip_

"It hasn't been you and me since we first started our journey." Ash said as he was laying down in a bed next to his now sleeping Pikachu. "Now, here we are again starting a brand new journey and I don't know why but I feel like this time it'll be better than that last. Well good night." Ash said before he yawned and fell asleep.

An hour passed and everyone on the ship was sound asleep….well not everyone. The door to Ash's room opened and a long mechanical arm reached over the other sleeping passengers and grabbed Pikachu.

"Pi...Pika!" Pikachu yelled as it struggled to get free. Ash stirred a bit before waking up.

"Mmmm..What is it Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika Pi!" Pika yelled still struggling. Ash rubbed his eyes and looked to the door only to see Pikachu being taken.

"What the- Pikachu!" Ash said before jumping out of his bed. He ran out the door and looked up and down the hallway.

"Pikachu!" Ash said calling to his partner. He then took off around the corner only to bump into the captain and his Machoke doing their nightly rounds.

"Easy son, is something wrong?" The captain asked.

"Yes captain, someone broke into my room and stole my Pikachu." Ash said.

"Are you kidding, did you see where the went?" The captain said in a serious tone.

"No when I got out here Pikachu was already gone." Ash said looking down.

"Well, we're going to find it." The captain said walking over to a small computer.

"What's that?" Ash asked.

"It's a special computer that allows me to scan the entire ship and search for any stowaways that might be aboard." The captain said as he was typing on the computer.

"Ah right there, the food storage area on the lower deck. Come on young man, let's go." The captain said as he and his Machoke began running to the lower deck.

"Right." Ash said following right behind them.

On the Lower deck, we find Team Rocket eating and chatting about their next move.

"We did it and with enough time for a midnight snack." Meowth said before putting a cookie in his mouth.

"Does anyone even know where this this boat is going?" James asked.

"Anywhere will do, once it dock we'll disappear in a crowd and make our way back to the boss." Jessie said with a smile.

"Sounds like a plan to me." James said before eating a spoonful of pudding.

"Then we're agreed, now let's fill our bellies and get so shut eye." Meowth declared.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said.

"CHUUUU!" Pikachu screamed as he tried to use Thunderbolt to escape, but to bad for him his cage was insulated.

"Poor Pikachu, You're just wasting your volts with those Thunderbolts." Jessie taunted.

"She's right, that cage can take every single watt you dish out." James said.

"So why don't you just be little pokemon and sit back and enjoy this peaceful sea cruise." Meowth said.

"There's nothing peaceful about it!" Team Rocket turned only to see Ash, the captain and his Machoke standing behind them.

"You got some nerve stealing Ash's Pikachu way from him, who do you think you are?" The captain asked angrily.

 _Team Rocket original theme_

 _Prepare for trouble on land, air and sea!  
And Make it double, with troubles on me!_

 _To protect the world from devastation!_

 _To unite all people within our nation!_

 _To denounce the evils of truth and love!_

 _To extend our reach to the stars above!_

 _Jessie!_

 _James!_

 _Team Rocket rides the waves at the speed of light!_

 _Shoot the curl, hanging ten and preparing to fight!_

 _Meowth that's right!_

 _Wobbuffet!_

"Who's Team Rocket?" The captain asked.

"There a bunch of crooks and a major thorn in my side." Ash said angrily.

"You got that right Twerp, you should know by now we won't stop until Pikachu is ours!" Jessie said.

"That's not going to happen on my watch, Go Machoke!" The captain said as Machoke began charging toward Team Rocket.

"On no you don't, Go Arbok!" Jessie said throwing a pokeball.

"Come on out Weezing!" James said as he also threw a pokeball. After a few seconds, both pokeballs opened to reveal a large purple snake and the other was a small purple Pokémon consisting of two spherical heads connected by a thin tube with another sphere in the center.

"Alright I choose Bay- Oh that's right I don't have Bayleef." Ash said realizing he left all of his pokemon with Professor Oak.

"Arbok Use Poison Sting!" Jessie commanded. Arbok soon was shooting purple needles out of it's mouth and they were head straight for Machoke.

"Dodge Machoke!" The captain ordered. Machoke quickly moved to the left avoiding the Poison Sting.

"Weezing, Smokescreen!" James commanded. Weezing soon released a thick cloud of smog from it's mouth covering the entire room.

"Great now we can't see!" The captain said.

"Now Weezing use Tackle on Machoke!" James commanded. Weezing immediately took off and slammed itself into Machoke. Machoke was pushed back into a large metal pipe.

"Alright Arbok, Finish this with Acid!" Jessie commanded. Arbok soon released a purple liquid from it's mouth and it was heading straight for Machoke.

"Machoke, get out of there." The captain said. Machoke quickly looked up and moved out of the way, but by doing so the Acid attack hit the metal pipe melting it. Soon, there was water shooting out of the pipe.

"Oh no the water storage tank!" The captain said before he, Machoke, Team Rocket and Ash were being carried away by the water.

"Ugh Machoke, grabon to one of the railing we need to call for help." The captain said.

"Ma Machoke!" Machoke said before grabbing the rails and grabbing the captain.

"Nice work Machoke, now let's get this ship repaired.

 _With Ash_

Ash was on Team Rocket's trail, swimming as fast as he could to get Pikachu back.

" _Hold on buddy, I'm coming!"_ Ash thought to himself. He soon made it to the top deck and got out of the water.

"Where are- Hey get back here!" Ash yelled as he saw Team Rocket running away.

"I'm exhausted, doesn't that Twerp ever give up?" James asked.

"Apparently he doesn't, so let's think of something." Jessie said.

"Any Ideas!" Meowth asked.

"Oh wait forgot I had this, my brand new Ropester." James said pulling out a large grappling hook out of nowhere. He then fired it onto a large crane.

"Wow impressive!" Jessie said.

"Thank you, shall we?"James asked. Jessie,Meowth and Wobbuffet all nodded and grabbed onto James before jumping off the boat. Ash saw this and immediately jumped off the boat.

"Oh no you don't, give me back my Pikachu!" Ash said grabbing onto Wobbuffet.

"Wobbuffet be a loyal Pokemon and let go of my leg!" Jessie commanded, but Wobbuffet didn't listen.

"You better give me my Pikachu back or I'll-" Ash was cut off as he and Team Rocket all crashed into the very crane the grappling hook was hooked onto. Ash fell into a pile of wooden crates, while Team Rocket and Pikachu landed on two trucks. Jessie, James and Wobbuffet were on the left truck and Meowth and Pikachu were on the right truck.

"Well not the most gracious landing, but we got away nonetheless."Jessie said as she and her teammates laughed. Ash tried his best to push all of the wooden boxes out of his way.

"Hold on Pikachu!" Ash yelled pushing another crate.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu yelled. Just then both truck began to rev up and move out.

"Yes we finally won, So long Twerp!" James said.

"I swear when I find you three again a Thunderbolt will be the least of your worries!" Ash yelled.

"Oh we're so scared….not! Not let's get- What the?" Before the knew what was going on both trucks were now heading in opposite direction.

"Wait Meowth, where do you think you're going?" Jessie asked frantically.

"You bring the truck back here this instant!" James said.

"I can't in case you haven't noticed, I'm the passenger on this rig." Meowth said. Ash finally got out of of the crate pile, but was too late to stop the trucks.

"No Pikachu!" Ash said gritting his teeth. Just then, a woman with spiky blue rode up next to Ash on a motorcycle.

"Hey are you alright, what happened?" The woman asked. Ash looked at the next to him and immediately recognized her.

"Officer Jenny, look we don't have much time! Team Rocket came after me again and took Pikachu away!" Ash said. Jenny's face immediately turned serious.

"I'll do whatever I can to help." She said.

 _Timeskip with Meowth and Pikachu_

"Aww great now what do I do?" Meowth asked.

"Pika Pi Pikachu?" Pikachu asked.

"You must be crazy if you think i'm letting you- Whoa!" Before Meowth could finish his sentence, the truck carrying them made a sharp left turn causing both Meowth and Pikachu to fall off the truck and onto the ground.

"Aww my head, where am I and….WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF YOUR CAGE!" Meowth yelled as he saw Pikachu's cage smashed into pieces.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said angrily as his cheeks began to spark.

"Hey, let's not do anything hasty here and besides I doubt you'll be able to find the Twerp on your own." Meowth said holding his paws up. Pikachu thought about this for a minute before calming down.

"Pikachu Pika Pi." Pikachu said as he walked past Meowth.

"Good plan, let's head back the way we came, with any luck we might run into the Jessie and James." Meowth said before receiving a shock from Pikachu.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu growled.

"Right I'll shut up." Meowth said laying on the ground. Pikachu didn't really care if Meowth followed him or not, as long as he found Ash nothing else mattered.

"Hey wait up!" Meowth yelled before running after Pikachu. Pikachu didn't listen though since he was in his own thoughts.

" _Why does this keep happening, why are those three idiots so interested in me? Why can they just leave me alone, I wish- wait what was that?"_ Pikachu thought as heard something faint in the distance. Pikachu then made a dash for the sound.

"Hey, where ya going?" Meowth asked.

"Pika Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu said still running.

"Ya heard something, like what?" Meowth said as he ran after Pikachu.

" _I'm not sure, but I think someone needs help."_ Pikachu thought. Both Meowth and Pikachu soon found themselves approaching a storage block.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said. "The sound came from in there, huh?" Meowth asked. Pikachu nodded and the two proceeded inside.

"You know for storage block, this place isn't all that big." Meowth said.

"Pika Pi." Pikachu said with a nod.

"Uhhhhg.." Meowth and Pikachu both jumped when they heard that moan.

"What was that?" Meowth asked hiding behind Pikachu.

"Pika!" Pikachu said looking around.

"Uhhhhg…" The noise was a bit louder this time and Pikachu was able to lock onto where it was.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said before running off again.

"Hey wait, don't leave me all alone!" Meowth said running after Pikachu. Pikachu took a shortcut by jumping over a few boxes and as he did he spotted something.

" _Is that a person or a pokemon_?" Pikachu asked himself. He then made his way over to whatever he saw.

"There you are what's the big idea leaving me alone like that?" Meowth asked angrily.

"Pika Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu said.

"You found someone?" Meowth asked as he followed Pikachu once again.

The two pokemon got to whatever was making that sound and upon further inspection it looked like a human girl. She had tan colored skin and purple hair with what looked like pink highlights. She was wearing a light blue long sleeve collar shirt, purple overalls that seemed a little too short, a white hat with a six-pointed star crystal on it, white socks and light blue shoes.

"I wonder who this girl is and what's she doing in a place like this?" Meowth asked crossing his arms. Pikachu shrugged and decided to wake to girl up.

"Pika Pika, Pika Pi!" Pikachu said shaking the girl a bit. The girl the began to stir and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Ugh, where am I?" The girl asked rubbing her head.

"Hey, are you ok?" Meowth asked.

"Pika Pi?" Pikachu asked as well. The girl looked around to find that she was in a dark place and next to her was a yellow mouse looking creature and a cat with a gold coin on its head.

"Who...What are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

_Narrator: After boarding a ship bound for the Hoenn Region, Ash and Pikachu once again cross paths with Team Rocket. Who once again tries to steal Pikachu from Ash, but by doing so they get separated from Meowth who has Pikachu in his possession. Will Ash find Pikachu before Team Rocket, Find out now!_

Pokemon: Master Quest

With Twilight…

Who...what are you?" Twilight asked scooting away from the cat and the yellow mouse.

"Hey calm down there kid." The cat said.

"Y..y...you can talk?" Twilight asked.

"Well I can see there's a brain in that skull of yours." The cat said with a smirk. Twilight didn't take kindly to that comment, but before she could say anything...

"PI-KA-CHUU!" The yellow mouse released a bolt of lightning from it cheeks and it was heading straight for the cat.

"OK, OK I'M SORRY!" The cat said as he was being shocked. The mouse then stopped his attack and smirked. Twilight stared at the yellow mouse with shock.

"Ok I ask again, what are you?" Twilight asked getting a bit scared. Pikachu then turned to the girl and smiled at her.

"Pika pika, Pika Pi!" Pikachu said.

"Um...what now?" Twilight asked with a confused look.

"It said "Don't worry we won't hurt you, what's your name?" The cat said translating for the mouse.

"It's….Twilight. Twilight Sparkle." Twilight said introducing herself. Pikachu smiled at the girl.

"Pika Pi, Pikachu!" The mouse said. Twilight turned to the cat for a translation.

"He says his name's Pikachu and that you have a pretty name." The cat said. Twilight smiled at the mouse and then looked to the cat.

"And who are you?" Twilight asked.

"The names Meowth kid and I got a few questions for you." The cat now know as Meowth said pointing to Twilight.

"I have a few questions myself. First off, What are you two, I've never seen animals like you before." Twilight said. Pikachu and Meowth just looked at Twilight as if she had grown another head.

"Are you serious, you've never seen a pokemon before kid?" Meowth asked. Twilight's eyes widened in shock.

"So these are the pokemon Arceus told me about." Twilight thought to herself.

"Pika Pi, Pika?" Pikachu asked. "He's asking if you're ok." Meowth translated.

"Um..yea I'm fine." Twilight said putting a hand on her head….wait what? Twilight took a good long look at her hands.

"AHHHHH! WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!?" Twilight screamed. Meowth and Pikachu both flinched at her sudden freak out.

"What's wrong with you, why are you freaking out?" Meowth asked. Twilight didn't hear him though as she was too busy having an episode.

"W...What am I, What are these, Where did my horn go!?" Twilight asked looking herself over.

"Kid have you gone crazy or something, you're a human. How could you not know that?" Meowth said looking at the girl with a confused look. Pikachu was also confused by what was going on.

" _What's with this girl, why is she acting as if she's never looked in a mirror before_." Pikachu thought to himself. Twilight tried her best to calm down, but this was all too much for her.

" _Ok calm down Sparkle and just breath. You made the choice to come to this world and now you have to deal with this_." Twilight thought to herself. "Ok….I'm good sorry." Twilight said taking a deep breath. Pikachu and Meowth both looked at one another and shrugged.

"Pika pika, pika pi?" Pikachu asked. "He said,

"Can you tell us how you ended up in this warehouse?" Meowth translated. Twilight was about to answer, but decided to keep the whole Arceus experience under wraps at least until she found this 'Ash' po-person.

"I'm not sure exactly sure how I got her. I mean one minute I'm in my library and then next I'm here with you two." Twilight said. Pikachu could tell the girl was hiding something, but decided not to press the subject.

"Pika pika pi, Pika pi pikachu." Pikachu said.

"Pikachu says that if you want you can come with us, we're looking for his friend and he's sure he can help you out." Meowth translated. Twilight thought about this for a minute.

" _I'm not sure I should trust them right off the bat, but then again I don't know my way around this world_." Twilight thought. "Alright I'll go with you two." Twilight said. Pikachu smiled at the girl and immediately jumped onto her shoulder. Twilight was startled at first, but noticed how adorable the yellow mouse was and smiled.

"Can we get out of her now, this place is giving me the creeps." Meowth said. Twilight and Pikachu both nodded and the three proceeded to leave. While they were leaving, Meowth and Pikachu noticed that Twilight wasn't walking right.

"Um kid, why are you walking on all fours?" Meowth asked. Twilight looked at Meowth with a confused look on her face.

"Am I not supposed to walk like this?" Twilight asked. Meowth facepalmed and shook his head. Pikachu on the other hand was laughing his yellow tail off.

 _With Ash…_

Ash and Officer Jenny were getting ready to search for Pikachu and Team Rocket, but before they could the captain of the ship called out to Ash.

"Ash, the ship's water tank should be repaired by nightfall. So if you don't get back to the ship before then I'm afraid we'll have to leave without you." The captain said.

" Don't worry captain, I'll be back by then." Ash said giving the captain a thumbs up.

"Alright are you ready Ash?" Jenny asked.

"You bet." Ash said. Jenny nodded and pulled a pokeball out of her pocket.

"Pidgeot, help us look for team Rocket." She said throwing the pokeball. The pokeball opened and released Pidgeot allowing her go and survey the area. "Let's go" Jenny said starting up her motorcycle.

"Don't worry Pikachu, I'm coming for ya." Ash thought to himself as he and Jenny began their search.

 _With Twilight, Pikachu and Meowth…_

"Whoa..walking on two legs is so weird." Twilight said trying to keep her balance.

"Yeah well a human walking on all fours is even weirder." Meowth snarked.

" _Well excuse me for not being use to this body_." Twilight thought as she glared at Meowth. "Whatever, so can you tell me where we're going actually?" Twilight asked.

"Heck if I know, we both got separated from our friends before we found you and it's all that little yellow pesticide's fault!" Meowth said pointing to Pikachu.

"Pika!? Pika Pika, Pika Pi!" Pikachu said angrily.

"Now, now calm down you two. I'm sure we can-" "Haunter." Twilight got cut off by a haunting voice that came from behind her. She soon looked a a purple ghost with two floating hands on each of its sides.

"AHHHHHHH!" Twilight screamed as she fell to the ground. "W...w….w...what is that thing!?" She asked frantically.

"Calm down it's just a Haunter, it's a ghost and poison type Pokemon." Meowth said.

"A..ggg...gg..ghost?" Twilight asked backing away slowly. The Haunter then started to move closer to the group with a strange look on it's face.

"Hey, do we have a problem here?" Meowth said getting into a defensive position. Pikachu jumped off of Twilight's shoulder and ran next to Meowth.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said as his cheeks began to spark. The Haunter then without warning fired a Nightshade attack from it's eyes.

"Look out!" Meowth said before he and Pikachu dodged the attack. Twilight wasn't so lucky, the attack hit her in her chest and send her flying back a few feet.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu said in a worried tone

"You ok kid?" Meowth asked. Twilight clutched her chest in pain.

"No...ugh..that hurt." Twilight said. Pikachu and Meowth both glared at the Haunter.

"I may not be the nicest pokemon around, but even I know it wrong to hit a girl." Meowth said. Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"Haunt Haunter!" The Haunter said firing another Nightshade attack at them.

"PI-KA-CHUU!" Pikachu yelled as he released a bolt of lightning from his cheeks. The two attacks collided with each other and caused a small explosion. "AH!" Twilight yelled covering her head. The Haunter was sent flying back a few feet and collapsed onto the ground.

"Nice job, now let's get the kid and get out of here." Meowth said.

"Pika!" Pikachu said with a nod. The two then went over to Twilight who still had her head covered.

"Come on kid that Haunter won't stay down for long, we need to get out of her." Meowth said trying to get Twilight on her feet. Twilight shook her head.

"I can't, I wanna go home." Twilight said as tears fell from her face. Pikachu saw the tears in the girl's eyes and went to nuzzle her cheek.

"Pi Pika Pi, Pikachu." Pikachu said with a small smile.

"What?" Twilight asked.

"Pikachu said not to cry, I'm going to keep you safe." Meowth translated. Twilight's eyes widened and she looked to Pikachu who had a look of confidence in his eyes. She then nodded to Pikachu and got up onto her feet.

"Atta girl, now let's get." Meowth said running ahead. Pikachu nodded and got onto Twilight's shoulders. Twilight then wiped the tear from her face and began running after Meowth.

"Thank you Pikachu." Twilight thought as she looked at her little yellow friend. After a few minutes, Twilight, Pikachu and Meowth decided to take a small break.

"Well... there's my exercise... for the day." Meowth said while panting.

"Agreed." Twilight said.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu said.

"What do you mean you're tired, you were on the kids shoulder on the entire time." Meowth said glaring at the yellow mouse. "Calm down this is no time to- Uh-oh." Twilight said looking behind Pikachu and Meowth.

"What now?" Meowth asked as he and Pikachu looked behind themselves only to see a trio of Oddish, a trio of Rattata, a trio of Pidgey and a lone Marril.

"Oh great more trouble." Meowth said backing up a bit.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said.

"Here we go again." said getting into a defensive position.

"Rata Rata Tata." one of the Rattata said.

"Wait, you're not going to hurt us?" Meowth asked. The Rattata nodded.

"Tata rattata tata." It said. "What's it saying?" Twilight asked.

"It's saying that a bunch of these Haunter moved into the neighborhood and are busy scaring everyone and causing chaos. Is that right?" Meowth asked. The Rattata, the Pidgey, the Oddish and the lone Marill all nodded.

"Rattata rat rat rattata." Another one of the Rattata said.

"And you can't even go outside to run around and play anymore?" Meowth asked. They all nodded.

"Pika pika." Pikachu and in a sad tone.

"You know you could just stand up to them." The pokemon all turned to Twilight who crouched down to their level. "They sound like nothing more than a bunch of bullies, you should all stand up for yourselves." She said.

"The kids right, you gotta fight back." Meowth said.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said in agreement.

"Rata rat rat rattata!" The third Rattata said.

"Oh I see, there are five of them and you all think you're out numbered." Meowth said.

"Well there are ten of you, I don't see how they can fend you all off." Twilight said.

"I can, you see as I said earlier, Haunter are ghost and poison types and the pokemon in front of us are normal, flying, grass, poison and water. That's a pretty bad match up in a battle against them." Meowth said crossing his arms.

"I see so type advantage plays a big role in this world right?" Twilight asked.

"That's right, and we're at a major disadvantage right now." Meowth said. Before anything else could be said one of the oddish ran up to everyone in a hurry.

"Oddish oddish oddish odd." It said frantically.

"Are you kidding me!" Meowth said in shock.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu said also in shock.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"That Haunter is getting his buddies and they're coming to get us." Meowth said. Twilight just took a deep breath.

"This day just keeps getting better and better." She said rubbing her head. The marill then went up to her.

"Marill Mar?" The Marill asked. "Meowth, translate please?" Twilight asked.

"Marill asked if you were alright?" Meowth translated.

"Oh yes, I'm fine little one." Twilight said petting marill on the head. Marill smiled and giggle. " _Aww it's adorable_." Twilight thought with a smile on her face.

 _With Team Rocket_

"I don't believe it, there isn't a sign of Meowth anywhere." James said as he a Jessie were looking for Meowth in their hot air balloon.

"Excuse me, but searching for Pikachu is the point of this search and not Meowth. We're on a tight schedule and the boss is waiting." Jessie said.

"Aren't you just a teensy bit worried about him?" James asked.

"Oh please, as soon as the stomach of his is empty he'll be back in no time." Jessie said.

"You make a good point." James said.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said with a salute.

 _With Ash and Jenny_

"So Ash, this Pikachu of yours must mean much more to you than just another one of your pokemon, am I right?" Jenny asked as she and Ash followed he Pidgeot.

"Yea, Pikachu and I have been a tem since the very start of my journey. For this journey however I wanted to start all over again, so instead of bringing all my old partners with me I decided to bring just Pikachu with me. We've been through everything together and Pikachu is more than my best friend he's part of my family." Ash said looking down.

"I understand don't worry I'll do everything I can to help you find Pikachu." Jenny said with a smile. Before Ash could thank jenny, Pidgeot called out to them.

"Pidgeot Pidg!" Pidgeot said speeding up a bit.

"Looks like Pidgeot spotted something." Ash said.

"Then let's kick it into high gear." Jenny said increasing the speed of her motorcycle.

 _Back with Twilight_

The Haunter from before had shown up after a few minutes with it buddies in tow. "Haunter haunter haunter." The Haunter said.

"So you want us to leave because this is your turf." The Haunter nodded.

"Hey listen pal, we weren't planning on staying anyway." Meowth said.

"Pika pika pi!" Pikachu said getting in a defensive position.

"Hey simmer down Pikachu." Meowth said.

"What's Pikachu saying?" Twilight asked.

"Pikachu's talling the Haunter that this place isn't just for them it's for everyone." Meowth translated. Twilight nodded.

"Pikachu's right, you should be sharing this not with all the pokemon here not just yourselves." Twilight said glaring at the Haunter. The Marill from before stared at Twilight in awe, but soon smiled at her.

"Pika pika Pi Pika!" Pikachu said as it's cheeks began to spark.

"Hey I'm all for standing up to bullies Pikachu bu-" "Pika pika, pika pi!" Pikachu said cutting Meowth off.

"You're saying Ash would do it because it's the right thing?" Meowth asked.

"Pikachu." Pikachu said with a nod. This caught Twilight's attention.

"Wait Ash, Pikachu you know someone named Ash?" Twilight asked. Before Pikachu could answer, one of the Haunter fired a Shadow Ball at them. Twilight, Meowth and Pikachu all moved out of the way of the Attack.

"You all need to go and hid , we'll take care of this." Twilight said. All the pokemon except Marill nodded and went to hide somewhere. The Marill did the opposite and stayed with Twilight.

"What are you doing, I told you to hide." Twilight said.

"Marill Mar." Marill said shaking it's head. Twilight looked at the blue mouse and soon picked it up.

"If you're going to stay, then you're staying close to me." Twilight said with a smile.

"Marill Mar." Marill said with a nod.

"Pikachu, Meowth, you two ok?" Twilight asked.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said with a nod. "Yeah I'm fine, but I really angry now." Meowth said glaring at the Haunter.

"Pika, PI-KA-CHU!" Pikachu said firing a Thunderbolt at the Haunter. The group of Haunter quickly moved out of the way and surrounded Twilight. Marill, Pikachu and Meowth.

"Great we're surrounded and I can't do anything about it!" Meowth said angrily.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said.

"Yea I know we have to fight no matter what, alright let's go!" Meowth said extending his claws.

"Fury Swipes!" Meow said trying to hit on of the Haunter, but his attacks just phased through them. The Haunter began to laugh.

"Haunter haunt." The Haunter taunted.

"What did you call me, I am no weakling and I'll prove it!" Meowth said angrily. Just then Meowth's claws soon had a purple tint to them and he began hitting the Haunter again only this time the strikes were actually hitting it.

"How do you like that, here have some more." Meowth said as he kept slashing the Haunter.

"Whoa." Twilight said in shock.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said in shock. Meowth slashed the Haunter on final time causing it to fall to the ground.

"That's what happens when you call me weak. How did I do that anyway?" Meowth asked before looking at his claws.

"Pika pika pi pikachu!" Pikachu said with a smile.

"Huh, I learned Night Slash?" Meowth asked Pikachu nodded. "No wonder I was able to hit that Haunter, Night Slash is a dark type move and it's very effective against ghost types." Meowth said with a smile.

"That means we have an advantage now right?" Twilight asked.

"That's right kid, Come on Pikachu let's rock!" Meowth said.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu said. The remaining Haunter all fired Nightshade Attacks the two, but they both quickly jumped out of the way casing the Haunter to hit one another.

"Time for the finale, Night Slash!" Meowth said slashing two of the Haunter with his claws.

"PI-KA-CHU!" Pikachu yelled as he fired a Thunderbolt at the remaining two.

"Haunter haunt haunt." The Haunter said as he and his buddies began to flee.

"Wow, that was amazing." Twilight said in awe.

"Mar marill." Marill said.

"We did it and I learned a new move, so that's a double win for me." Meowth said.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said with a smile. The pokemon came out of there hiding places and began to cheer for Meowth a Pikachu.

"You two were amazing." Twilight said with a smile.

"Marill marill." Marill said also smiling.

"Aw it was nothing." Meowth said crossing his arms.

"Pika pika pi." Pikachu said.

"Rattata rat rat rattata." The Rattata said.

"You want us to stay here with all of you and you wanna make Pikachu the leader?" Meowth asked. All the pokemon began smiling and nodding. "Wow they're really grateful for to you Pikachu." Twilight said.

"Marill Mar." Marill said.

"Sorry kiddies, but someone else needs this Pikachu a lot more than you and that's Team Rocket." Meowth said. Pikachu just groaned, while Twilight just stared in confusion.

"Team Rocket?" She asked.

"That would be us." Just as that was said, a small metal ring wrapped itself around Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Twilight said in a worried tone.

"Could it be, my buddies Jessie and James." Meowth said looking up to saw the hot air balloon.

"We do seem to stumble into the right place at the right time." Jessie said.

"Hold it right there, Meowth I got you." James said as he used a Mechanical hand to grab Meowth and put him in the balloon.

"What is going on her?" Twilight asked.

"What's going on kid is we'll be taking that Pikachu." Meowth said with a sinister smile. "

What, why, you to were working so well together. Why would you do this?" Twilight said as she tightened her grip on Marill.

"That maybe, but I'm a member of Team Rocket now and forever. Sorry kid, James if you please." Meowth said.

"You got it, come on Pikachu!" James said pressing a button on a remote control. Just the the bottom of the balloon opened a secret hatch and a huge Electromagnet came out of it. The magnet activated and Pikachu was slowly being pulled in.

"No Pikachu!" Twilight said before putting Marill down.

"You stay right here." She said before running off to help Pikachu. Marill look on with a worried look on it's face.

"Marill." It said in a sad tone. Twilight quickly grabbed Pikachu and tried to pull him back.

"I got you Pikachu, don't worry." Twilight said using every ounce of strength she had to pull Pikachu back.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu said. After a few seconds, Twilight could hold on to Pikachu anymore and the recoil made her fall to the ground.

"No Pikachu!" Twilight said as she watched Pikachu float up to the magnet.

"PIKA PIKA!" Pikachu yelled in pain.

"Pikachu! How could you all be so cruel?" Twilight asked glaring at Team Rocket.

"It's what we do little girl." Jessie said.

"That's right and now that we got what we wanted, time to say goodbye" James said.

"No! Twilight screamed.

"Pidgeot use Wing Attack!" A voice behind Twilight said. Just then, a bird that looked like a bigger Pidgey slashed the balloon with its wings causing it to deflate and fall to the ground.

"Are you kidding me?" Meowth said as he and his friends fell to the ground.

"What was that?" Twilight asked herself.

"Pikachu, are you ok?" Twilight looked behind her to see a boy with her skin color and black hair running towards her. Pikachu was freed for the magnets pull and looked up to see Ash running towards him.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu said with a smile. Ash made way to Pikachu and and began to hug him.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright,I was worried sick." He said.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said. Twilight just looked on at the scene and smiled a bit.

"So this is the friends Pikachu told me about." Twilight said to herself before feeling a tap on her leg. She then looked down to see Marill smiling at her. Twilight smiled back and picked Marill up.

"You ok?" She asked.

"Marill mar." Marill said with a nod.

"Hey Twerp, what'd you go and do that for?" Ash and Twilight turned to see Team Rocket up once again.

"Everything was going swimmingly before you came along." James said.

"Wobbu!" Wobbuffet said with a salute.

"Yea and just when we thought we were taking off, we come crashing back down." Meowth said said in a sad tone.

"You deserve it after what you did." Twilight said glaring at Meowth.

"Marill mar." Marill said. Ash looked back to the girl.

" _Who is she supposed to be_." he thought to himself. Jenny then stepped forward.

"It's against the law to steal another's pokemon and I won't stand for it." She said.

"You know how much I care about what you stand for, about zero percent officer." Jessie said.

"Yea and that Pikachu goes with us." Meowth said.

"Enough, let's have our magnet do the talking." James said press the button on the remote control again. The magnet began to power up and began pulling Pikachu in once again.

"Hold on Buddy!" Ash said hold onto Pikachu.

"No not again." Twilight said as she ran up to help Ash. "

Here, let us help." She said holding onto Pikachu as well. "Marill Mar." Marill said.

"Thank you." Ash said with a smile.

"Pika Pi." Pikachu said.

"Great, now the Twerpette and her blue pest are helping now." Jessie said angrily.

"James give it the gas." Meowth said.

"Roger." James said pressing another button. The magnets power increased and it was harder and harder for Ash, Twilight and Marill to hold on to Pikachu.

"It's slipping." Twilight said losing her grip.

"We can't give up now." Ash said.

"Marill!" Marill said. Unbeknownst to the three and bunch of metal barrels were being pulled in by the magnet and were heading straight for them.

"Watch out you two!" Jenny said. Ash and Twilight tried to looked behind them, but they were both hit by the barrel and Pikachu found himself attached to the magnet again.

"Pikachu no!" Ash and Twilight said at the same time.

"A bullseye!" Meowth cheered.

"Yes, we shoot and we score." Jessie and James said simultaneously.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said.

"PIKA PIKA!" Pikachu screamed in pain.

"PIkachu!" Ash said in a worried tone. Twilight could only look in horror as did Jenny and the pokemon. Marill on the other hand jumped out of Twilight arms and ran toward Pikachu.

"Hey, come back!" Twilight said trying to grab Marill. Marill didn't listen and began to roll like a ball and increasing it's speed.

"What's Marill doing?" Twilight asked.

"Marill's using Rollout." Ash explained. Marill then jumped to hit the metal ring holding Pikachu and shattered it.

"Alright, Marill did it!" Jenny said.

"No Fair!" Jessie said in shock.

"That ring cost a fortune." James said. Pikachu then landed face first on the ground with marill landing next to him.

"Pikachu, are you ok?" Ash said picking Pikachu up.

"Marill, don't you ever do that again." Twilight said picking Marill up and hugging it.

"Marill mar." Marill said nuzzling Twilight.

"Oh so you wanna play hard ball fine, let's get them." Jessie said before she, James and Meowth started running towards Ash and Twilight only to be stopped by the group of Haunter from earlier.

"Oh crap." Meowth said. The Haunter all fired their Nightshade attacks at Team Rocket and the Magnet causing it to explode and send Team Rocket flying.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Team Rocket said before flying out of sight.

"Hey, you helped us, why?" Twilight asked the Haunter. The Haunter all looked to Pikachu.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said weakly.

"I see, they respect Pikachu for standing up to them and us for standing up to Team Rocket." Ash said with a smile. The Haunter nodded and went over to the other pokemon.

"Haunt haunter." The Haunter said.

"Rattata rat rat?" Rattata said holding out a paw. The haunter grabbed it and began to shake.

"Wow looks like they're making up." Twilight said with a smile.

"Yea, oh I'm sorry I never got to thank you or introduce myself. My name is Ash, it's nice to meet you." Ash said smiling back at her.

"Wait, your Ash?" Twilight asked.

"You that's my name and you already met my buddy Pikachu." Ash said.

"Pika Pikachu." Pikachu said. "Well my name is Twilight Sparkle, it a pleasure to meet you too." Twilight said.

"Nice name, so how do you know me anyway?" Ash asked.

"Uh well-" "Um Ash I hate to interrupt, but don't you have a boat to catch?" Jenny asked.

"Oh man your right, look thanks again I got to go. Hope to see you again one day." Ash said before running off.

"Wait I've been looking for you and I need to ask you some things." Twilight said grabbing Ash's arm.

"Well if that's the case then come with me to the boat, we can talk there." Ash said. Twilight didn't hesitate and she ran after Ash with Marill right behind her.

 _TimeSkip_

The boat bound for hoenn was leaving and the captain was on the deck still looking for Ash. "Too bad, I guess Ash Couldn't make it back in time." He said looking down.

"Choke machoke." Machoke said in a sad tone.

"Hey you weren't leaving without us, were you?" The captain looked up to see and a girl flying on the back of Pidgeot.

"Ash!" The captain said with a smile.

"Sorry I'm late captain and I hope you don't mind an extra passenger." Ash said. Twilight saw the boat and was in awe.

"Wow, I've never seen a boat that big before." Twilight said.

"Marill mar." Marill said. Just then, Twilight noticed that Marill was still with her.

"Marill, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your friends?" Twilight asked. Marill shook its head.

"Marril marill mar." Marill said nuzzling Twilight.

"I think it wants to stay with you." Ash said with a smile. Twilight looked Marill then to Ash and then back to Marill.

"Is that true, you wanna stay with me?" Twilight asked the Blue mouse.

"Mar mar Marill." MArill said with a big smile and a nod. "Aww how could I refuse, you're so adorable." Twilight said hugging Marill.

"That awesome, you got yourself a new pokemon." Ash said.

"Thanks." Twilight said. Pidgeot landed on the boat and Ash and Twilight both got off of it's back.

"Thank you Pidgeot, tell Jeny we said thank you too." Ash said petting Pigeot. Pidgeot nodded and soon took to the skies once again.

 _In the passenger bedrooms_

"So you aren't from around here?" Ash asked as he and Twilight were laying down on the passenger beds.

"You could say that, we don't have pokemon where I come from." Twilight said.

"Are you serious?" Ash asked in shock.

"Yea and at first I was scared, but now I'm really glad I came here. I mean if I didn't I would never have met Marill or Pikachu." Twilight said looking down at Marill sleeping in her arms.

"You must have had one heck of a day." Ash said.

"You're telling me, but I think Pikachu had it worse than me." Twilight said looking at the sleeping yellow mouse.

"Yea he must be exhausted from a day like today and the same goes for you. Why don't talk in the morning, ok?" Ash asked.

"Sure I am a bit tired." Twilight said with a yawn.

"Well goodnight." Ash said closing his eyes.

"Goodnight." Twilight said closing her eyes as well.

 _TimeSkip_

Ash was up bright and early on the deck of the ship, wanting to see the Hoenn region before the ported. "Finally the Hoenn Region, lots of new pokemon for me to catch and lots of new rival for me to battle." Ash said with a smile.

 _Narrator: Still on his quest to become a Pokemon Master, Ash has finally arrived in the Hoenn Region. Where a brand new journey and many exciting new adventures await_.

As the ship got closer to the port, ash was stating to see so many new pokemon that he had never seen before. "Wow this is so cool, I can wait for Pikachu, Twilight and Marill to see this." Ash said before running back to the passenger bedrooms. Ash had arrived to the bedrooms and saw Twilight and Marill over Pikachu.

"You guys have got to come outside it's ama-" "Ash get over her, I think something wrong with Pikachu." Twilight said in a panic. Ash quickly mad his way over and saw Pikachu's cheeks randomly sparking.

"Pikachu, what wrong?" Ash asked as he put a hand on Pikachu's head.

"He's burning up." Ash said in a worried tone.

"Oh no." Twilight said also worried.

"Marill mar." Marill said. Pikachu was still randomly sparking and could barely get a word out.

"Aw buddy, what's wrong with you?" Ash asked in a sad tone.


	4. Chapter 4

_Location: ?_

"W..where am I?" Twilight asked herself as she found herself walking down a dark hallway that seemed to go on forever.

"Hello, is anyone there!" Twilight asked hoping someone would answer. She then looked to the ground.

"What do I do now?"She thought to herself. Just then she saw a light in the distance.

" _This way my student_."A familiar voice from the light said. Twilight immediately recognized the voice and began running towards the light.

"Arceus, is that you?" She said. Before she could get an answer, she was soon consumed by the light she was running toward. After a few seconds, Twilight found herself in a room filled with various pictures and the weird thing is that all the Pictures had Ash and Pikachu in them.

"What is all this?" Twilight asked as she went up to one on the pictures. The picture in question was of Ash and Pikachu along with a girl with orange hair holding what looked like a pokemon that had just hatched from it's egg and a boy with spiky brown hair with an orange fox-like pokemon in his arms.

"Who are they?" Twilight asked walking to another picture. This one was of Ash, Pikachu, the orange haired girl and a boy with olive-green hair holding a marill of his own. She then saw a picture of Ash and Pikachu with another girl on his right with brown hair wearing a white hat and the exact same girl on his left not wearing a hat.

" _Twins...maybe_?" Twilight thought. She then went to another picture of Ash holding a little girl with short light brown hair wearing a light blue dress in his arms.

"Aww, she's so cute and she seems so happy." Twilight said with a smile. "But just what are all these pictures." She asked.

"They are Ash's memories."Twilight turned to the the 'Alpha' pokemon standing behind her.

"Arceus." Twilight said. Arceus nodded.

"You see, all these pictures are the precious memories Ash keeps in his heart and the people in those pictures are the people he shares a strong connection with." Arceus said. Twilight nodded and looked around the room again.

"He has a lot of friends in his life." Twilight said.

"That he does, Ash has always had a habit of making friends even with complete strangers." Arceus said.

"Hmmm...must be nice." Twilight said looking down.

"Still thinking about what happened?" Arceus asked her. Twilight nodded as she felt a few tears fall from her face. "It'll be ok young one, you have a grand adventure awaiting and how are you going to enjoy it if you're crying." Arceus said in a joking tone. Twilight looked to Arceus and gave him a small smile.

"I guess you're right." She said. Arceus nodded.

"Tell me what do you think of my young student." He asked looking at one of the pictures.

"Well he seems nice enough and I can tell he and Pikachu care for each other deeply." Twilight said with a smile.

"Those two have been through alot together and I can tell that fate has more in store for them." Arceus said. Twilight nodded.

"Arceus, I have a question." She said.

"Go on." Arceus said.

"Well...now that I've met Ash, should I tell him the truth about where I come from or should I keep it to myself?" Twilight asked looking down. Arceus looked at her for a moment before answering.

"That is entirely up to you Twilight, but if you do tell him about your origin I ask you don't mention me. I'll meet Ash when the time is right, but right now he's not ready." Arceus said. Twilight raised an eyebrow at this.

"Ready? Ready for what?" She asked in confusion. Arceus stayed silent. Just then, the room began to fade and Arceus along with it.

"W..what's going on?" Twilight asked in a worried tone.

"Calm down Twilight, you're just waking up." Arceus said.

"Waking up...wait I'm dreaming?" Twilight asked.

"I figured that was obvious." Arceus said with a chuckle. Twilight just gave him a deadpanned stare.

"You're hilarious." She said.

"I know, i'll speak with you soon Twilight." Arceus said before vanishing. The room around Twilight also vanished and she began to wake up.

 _Location: Passenger bedrooms_

Twilight slowly opened her eyes and began to get up.

"Ugh, weird dream." Twilight said rubbing her eyes. She then looked down and saw Marill still sleeping.

"Aww, such a cutie." Twilight said with a smile. She then looked to the bed that Ash was sleeping in and only saw Pikachu.

"Where's Ash?" She asked herself.

"Mar.." Twilight looked back down to see Marill waking up.

"Morning sleepyhead." Twilight said. Marill looked to Twilight and smiled. "Mar Marill." Marill said jumping into Twilight's arms. Twilight smiled back.

"Come on, let's wake Pikachu and go find Ash." She said.

"Marill Mar." Marill said with a nod. They made their way over to Pikachu.

"Pikachu, it time to wake up." Twilight said. Marill jumped out of Twilight arms and landed next to Pikachu.

"Marill Mar Mar." Marill said nudging Pikachu. Just then, Pikachu's cheeks began to randomly spark and Pikachu was groaning as if he was in pain. Twilight and Marill looked at Pikachu and began to worry.

"Something's wrong." Twilight said. Marill nodded and got closer to Pikachu.

" _Pikachu, what's wrong."_ She asked. Pikachu slowly opened his eyes.

" _I don't…..know….my body..hurts so much._ " Pikachu struggled to say. Marill quickly turned to Twilight.

"Marill Marill!" She said in a worried tone. Twilight could tell whatever Marill and Pikachu said to each other it wasn't good. Before she could say anything though, Ash was walking into the room.

"You guys have got to come outside it's ama-" "Ash get over her, I think something wrong with Pikachu." Twilight said in a panic. Ash quickly made his way over and saw Pikachu's cheeks randomly sparking.

"Pikachu, what's wrong?" Ash asked as he put a hand on Pikachu's head.

"He's burning up." Ash said in a worried tone.

"Oh no." Twilight said also worried.

"Marill Mar." Marill said. Pikachu was still randomly sparking and could barely get a word out.

"Aw buddy, what's wrong with you?" Ash asked in a sad tone.

 _Pokemon: Advanced_

 _Narrator_ _: Still determined to become a Pokemon master, Ash, his best friend Pikachu, along with their new friends Twilight and Marill continue their quest as the sail towards the Hoenn Region. But right now, there's one thing on their minds._

Ash was currently holding Pikachu who was now wrapped in a blanket in his arm. "Just try to rest Pikachu, as soon as we dock I'm taking straight to the pokemon center." Ash said in a worried tone. Twilight and Marill also had worried looks on their faces.

"Oh Ash." Twilight quietly.

"Marill." Marill said in a sad tone.

 _With Team Rocket_

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to Littleroot town. Please grab all your belongings and prepare to leave the ship." The captain said on the intercom.

"Littleroot Town?" James asked with a confused look on his face.

"The city whose colors will never change." Jessie said in a melancholy tone. James and Meowth both looked at her with confused looks on their faces.

"That's right, Littleroot Town has remained true to it's roots and I guess my colors have been slowly changing over the years." She said with a smile.

"What do mean?" Meowth asked still confused.

"Jessie, have you been here before?" James asked. Jessie nodded slowly and then looked up to the sky.

"Is this really all that there is?" She asked.

"Huh?" James and Meowth said still confused.

"I mean following the twerp and trying to catch Pikachu, James have we truly ever blasted off at the speed of light?" She asked. James and Meowth both looked at one another.

"Is she speaking hypothetically?" James asked.

"If that mean crazy, then yes." Meowth answered.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said before jessie returned it to it's pokeball.

 _With Ash and Twilight_

Ash and Twilight quickly made their way off the boat and walked over to a nearby local. "Excuse me sir, can you tell us where the pokemon center is please?" Ash asked.

"I'm sorry son, this city doesn't have a pokemon center." The man said.

"Aww you're kidding." Ashe said in a sad tone before looking down at Pikachu. Twilight then walked up to him.

"What do we do now?" She said in a worried tone.

"Marill Mar." Marill said. Ash looked to Pikachu who was still looking pretty bad.

"Hmmm…. I got it, follow me hurry." Ash said before running off.

"Wait for us." Twilight said as she and Marill followed. Ash and Twilight arrived at a nearby video phone and Ash quickly picked it up.

"Um Ash, what is that?" Twilight asked.

"Later Twilight….Hello, is this Professor Birch's lab?" Ash asked into the phone.

"Yes, may I ask who's calling?" Someone on the other line asked.

"My name is Ash Ketchum." Ash answered.

"Ah yes Ash, the professor is expecting you." the man said.

"Yes I know but, I have a problem. My Pikachu isn't feeling well and I'm nowhere near a pokemon center." Ash said looking down a Pikachu.

"Oh no, don't worry Ash I'll get in contact with the professor and have him pick you up." The man said.

"Thank you." Ash said before hanging up.

"So?" Twilight asked holding Marill tight in her arms.

"We just wait for the professor to pick up us." Ash said as he sat down on a bench. Twilight sat down next to him.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"Just worried is all, Pikachu has never shown symptoms like this before." Ash said.

"I see." Twilight said. " _I wish there was more I could do, this seems nothing like the boy I met yesterday."_ Twilight thought. Marill looked to Pikachu with worry in her eyes.

" _Oh Pikachu, please be ok."_ She thought. After about ten minutes, a jeep stopped in front of Ash and Twilight and a man with brown hair and a lab coat was driving.

"Hey, are you Ash by any chance?" The man asked.

"Yeah that's me, are you Professor Birch?" Ash asked back.

"Yes I am and I can see your Pikachu is in worse shape than I thought. Come on, let's hurry to me lab." Birch said.

"Right, Twilight come on." Ash said before getting into the car.

"Right." Twilight said getting into the car.

"I wasn't told you had a traveling companion with you." Birch said.

"We can talk about that later, right now Pikachu needs help." Ash said.

"Right sorry, what's your name missy?" Birch asked.

"My name's Twilight sir and this is Marill." Twilight answered.

"Mar Mar." Marill said.

"Well it's nice to meet you both, now hold on this is going to be a bumpy ride." Birch said before starting the car and taking off.

"So do you know what's wrong with Pikachu professor?" Twilight asked. Before the professor could answer, Pikachu began sparking again and moaning in pain.

"I was right, symptoms of electrical discharge." Birch said in a serious tone.

"What's does mean exactly?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Pikachu can't release it's electricity normally, so it randomly sparks like that. It's a serious problem that sometimes occurs among electric types. Tell me has Pikachu been exposed to any magnetic fields?" Birch asked the two young trainers. Ash and Twilight's eyes both widened and remembered the magnet Pikachu was strapped to yesterday.

"Yea Pikachu was strapped to a magnet." Ash said.

"An electromagnet no doubt." Birch said. Before anything else could be said, Pikachu began to unwrap from the blanket and try to free itself from Ash's arms.

"Pikachu stop, what's wrong." Ash said trying to hold Pikachu back.

"I high fever is confusing it." Birch said. Just then a larger spark came from Pikachu's cheeks before falling unconscious.

"That was worse than the last one." Twilight said in a worried tone.

"Mar Marill." Marill said.

"This is bad, hold on kids." Birch said as he increased the speed of the jeep.

 _Timeskip_

The professor, Ash and Twilight all arrived at the lab and the man that was on the phone with Ash was waiting for them. "Professor, everything's ready for you inside." He said.

"Thank you, this way kids." Birch said walking into the lab. Twilight and Ash nodded and followed. After reaching a medical room, Ash placed Pikachu on a table and took a step back. The professor then put a small device that was hooked to a bigger machine on Pikachu's cheeks.

"What's that Professor?" Twilight asked.

"A device that will absorb all of Pikachu's unneeded electricity. Joshua if you would." Birch said gesturing to his assistant.

"Yes sir." The man now known as Joshua said as he activated the device. The machine began to power up and Ash, Twilight and Marill looked on in worry. "Pikachu just hold on." Ash said gritting his teeth.

"You'll be ok, don't worry." Twilight said holding Marill tightly.

" _Please be ok..Please."_ Marill thought. The machine began absorbing Pikachu's electricity, but after a few second Pikachu's cheeks began sparking out of control.

"Professor something's wrong!" Joshua said.

"What is is?" Birch asked.

"The storage unit can't hold all this electricity!" Joshua said. Pikachu's sparks got more and more intense as the seconds passed.

"Pikachu!" Ash said in a worried tone.

"What's going on!?" Twilight asked. Just then the device on Pikachu's cheeks instantly broke apart.

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Birch said as the machine behind him began to explode. Ash quickly grabbed Twilight and forced her to the ground and shielded her from the blast.

 **KA-BOOM!**

Twilight slowly opened her eyes and felt something on her back. She looked behind her and saw Ash on her back and his arms wrapped around her.

" _Oh my gosh, he shielded me."_ Twilight thought with a worried look on her face. She then looked to Marill who was unconscious in her arms. " _Oh thank goodness you're alright Marill."_ She thought as she kissed Marill on the head.

"Pi..ka." Twilight turned around and saw Pikachu struggling to get up.

"Pikachu, Are you ok?" Twilight asked as she tried to get out of Ash's grip. Pikachu didn't answer instead he got right up and jumped out of the lab window into the forest. "Pikachu no, Ash get up!" Twilight said trying to shake Ash awake.

"Ugh, w..What happened?" Ash asked rubbing his head.

"No time, now can you please let me go?" Twilight asked. Ash then looked down and noticed he was laying on Twilight's back.

"Oh man, sorry." Ash said quickly getting off of Twilight.

"It's fine don't worry about me, Pikachu's gone!" Twilight said getting up.

"What! Where did he go!?" Ash asked also getting up.

"Out the window!" Twilight answered. Without another word, Ash jumped out the Window and began to look for his partner.

"Ash wait!" Twilight said watching him run.

"I'll be fine, wake the professor and tell him what happened." Ash said as he disappeared into the forest. Twilight just looked on for a few seconds before Marill pulled on her shirt.

"Marill Marill Mar!" Marill said pointing to the Professor and Joshua.

"Oh right." Twilight said as she made her way over to the Professor Birch.

"Professor, wake up!" Twilight said shaking the professor. It took a minute, but the Professor finally regained consciousness.

"Ugh, my head. Hey, are you kids alright?" Birch asked getting up.

"I'm fine and so am Ash, but Pikachu took off into the forest and Ash took off after him." Twilight said.

"Oh no! Tell me, does Ash have any pokemon that are good against electric types?" Birch asked as he went over to a small desk. Twilight shook her head.

"From what he's told me only has Pikachu with him." She said.

"Marill Mar." Marill said.

"Then we'll use mine." Birch said as he grabbed a brown bag that contained three pokeballs off of the desk and proceeded to jump out of the window as well.

"Professor wait." Twilight said.

"No time Twilight, stay with joshua until he wakes up ok." Birch said as he disappeared into the forest.

"This is so bad." Twilight said looking down.

"Marill." Marill said nuzzling Twilight.

 _With Team Rocket_

"What's up with Pikachu?" Meowth asked as he, Jessie and James all watched Ash and Birch run into the forest.

"Oh boy, I guess this means we run too, right?" Jessie asked in a bored tone.

"Now what's with you?" Meowth asked as he and James looked at her with confusion.

"It's what we do Jess." James said with a sheepish smile.

 _With Ash_

Ash continued running through the forest looking for Pikachu. " _Don't worry pal I'll find you_ " Ash thought to himself.

"Ash, wait for me!" Ash turned to see the professor running up to him.

"Professor, are you alright?" Ash asked.

"Yes I'm fine, but no time for that now. Pikachu's internal electricity is too high, a disturbance of any kind into Pikachu's electrical field could cause a massive explosion!" Birch said in an urgent tone. As soon as Ash heard that, his face paled and his blood ran cold.

"You mean..that he.." Ash tried to choke out the words, but he couldn't. Birch nodded understanding what Ash was about to ask.

"Pikachu is in more danger than I thought." He said looking down. Ash gritted his teeth and looked at Birch with determination.

"We have to hurry!" He said.

"Agreed, I'd think it be better if we split up." Birch said.

"Ok see you soon." Ash said as he and Birch went in different directions. " _I won't let that happen not now, not ever!"_ Ash thought as he kept running.

 _With Twilight_

"Joshua, are you alright?" Twilight asked the young man.

"Yea I'm alright, where's as and the Professor?" He asked getting up.

 **"** They went into the forest to look for Pikachu." Twilight said.

"I see, why didn't you go with them?" Joshua asked.

"I was told to stay with you and make sure you were ok." Twilight said. "

Marill Mar." Marill said with a nod. Joshua smiled.

"Well I'm just fine, so think you should go and help out your friend." He said. Twilight and Marill looked at him with shock.

"Uh...are you sure?" Twilight asked.

"Of course I'm sure, now go on." Joshua said. Twilight looked to Marill who gave her a nod.

"Alright, I'll see you soon." Twilight said as she jumped out of the lab window with Marill in her arms. " _Hang on you two we're on our way._ " Twilight thought as she ran into the forest.

" _Pikachu, please be ok."_ Marill thought to herself.

 _With Ash_

With the thought of his partner blowing fresh in his mind, Ash continued his search for Pikachu and so far having no luck. "PIKACHU! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Ash said still running.

 _With Birch_

"PIkachu, answer me please!" Birch called out. " _Where could he have gone?_ " He thought to himself. Just as he stepped forward, he failed to notice the small slope beneath him and he slipped.

"AHHH!" He yelled as he fell down the slope. Once he landed on the bottom of the slope, he began to groan and rub her back. "Aww, that hurt and my bag fell off." Birch said. Just then he hear a small growl, he then looked behind him to see a Poochyena and it did not look happy.

"Oh hello there, sorry for just dropping in on you like this." Birch said with a sheepish smile. The Poochyena then began to howl and within seconds two more Poochyena showed up and they all growled at Birch. Birch then began analyzing the Poochyena in front of him.

"Uh..that's not a friendly greeting, doesn't sound sad either, so that means one thing you're angry!" Birch said with a smile. The Poochyena then began charging him, Birch quickly got up and began running. "Ha, I'm brilliant! Hey, can't we discuss this! HELP!" Birch yelled as he ran from the Poochyena.

 _With Twilight_

"Where are they?" Twilight asked looking around.

"Marill." Marill said.

"HELP!" Twilight and Marill heard the cry and quickly made their way over to it. Upon arriving, they both see Professor Birch up in a tree and three little black dogs barking at him.

"Professor!" Twilight said. Birch looked over to Twilight and smiled.

"Twilight, thank goodness! You and Marill mind giving me a hand here?" He asked.

"Sure, but I'm not sure what to do." Twilight said. Marill then jumped out of Twilight arms and gave her a small nod.

"Um ok, I think I know where you're going with this." Twilight said.

"Marill!" Marill said turning her attention to the three black dogs.

"Professor, Marill wants to help, but I'm new at this whole thing." Twilight said.

"I understand, do you see a brown bag anywhere?" Birch asked. Twilight looked around and saw the bag on her left.

"Yes, I see it!" Twilight said going over to the bag.

"Now what?" She asked.

"Look inside and you'll find a small red device." Birch said. Twilight nodded and did what she was told.

"Um….is this it?" She asked holding up the red device.

"Yes that's it, now point it at Marill quickly." Birch said.

"Ok." Twilight said holding up the device at Marill. The Device slowly opened and the screen displayed a picture of Marill on it.

" _Marill, the Aqua Mouse Pokemon. Its sensitive ears can detect distant sounds and the round rubbery tip on its tail can expand and contract, assisting Marill in the water. Moves: Water Gun, Rollout and Bubblebeam."_ The device said. Twilight looked at the small device in awe.

"So..this is some sort of encyclopedia?" Twilight asked in shock.

"Yes, now hurry tell Marill to use one of it's moves on the Poochyena." Birch said. Twilight nodded and looked back at the device.

"Ok Marill use Water Gun on the Poochyena." Twilight commanded. Marill then jumped into the air. "Mar MARILL!" Marill yelled before releasing a stream of water from her mouth.

"Wow." Twilight said in awe. The stream of water sent all the Poochyena back a few feet and this caused them all to flee. "Amazing, great job you two." Birch said climbing out of the tree.

"Marill!" Marill said with a proud smile. Twilight then went over to Marill and picked her up.

"Marill that was incredible!" She said giving Marill a hug.

"Thank you for the help Twilight, but we have to get moving." Birch said in a serious tone.

 _With Pikachu_

Pikachu had absolutely no idea what was going on around him and walked aimlessly around the forest.

" _W..where am I? What's going on?"_ Pikachu thought to himself.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu turned to see someone walking towards him, but due to his fever he couldn't make out who.

"Pikachu it's me Ahhhhhwwwss." To Pikachu the vice started getting distorted and it frightened Pikachu.

" _Get Back!_ " Pikachu said with a growl as his cheeks began to spark.

 _Ash's perspective_

Ash had finally found Pikachu and tried to get in close.

"Pikachu it's me Ash." Ash said getting closer.

"PIKA PIKA!" Pikachu growled as his eyes turned red and his cheeks began to spark. "PIKA PIKA-CHU!" With that a bolt of electricity came from Pikachu and was heading straight for Ash.

 **AHHHHH!**

 _With Birch and Twilight_

Marill's ears began to twitch and she quickly jumped out of Twilight's arms again. "Marill what's wrong?" Twilight asked. Just before Marill could answer, a huge bolt of electricity shot up into the sky.

"Whoa, what was that?" Twilight asked.

"Pikachu's electrical buildup is reaching critical mass." Birch said.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Twilight asked in confusion.

"I mean if we don't hurry Pikachu could explode." Birch said as he ran off. Twilight took a moment to let that sink in before speaking.

"HE'S GONNA WHAT!?" Twilight yelled as she ran after Birch. Marill heard this as well and she was taking it worse.

"He's gonna...no...NO!" Marill said running after Birch and Twilight.

 _With Ash_

Ash was laying on the ground after getting shocked by Pikachu, he was still recovering from the blast in the Professor's lab and that attack from Pikachu wasn't helping. His arm was bleeding and so was his head. "Ugh….Pikachu...I'm coming." Ash said as he slowly got up. Once he was on his feet he looked over to Pikachu laying on the ground and in pain.

"No Pikachu." Ash said as he started walking over to Pikachu. As soon as he got close, Pikachu's cheeks released another bolt of electricity, but it wasn't a bad as the last one. Ash shielded himself and tried to get in closer, but without warning Pikachu began running away.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled. Using every ounce of strength he had left Ash ran after Pikachu. " _I'm not giving up on you buddy!"_ Ash thought as he kept running not even caring about the blood he was losing. Just then he saw Pikachu running towards a very high cliff and wasn't stopping.

"PIKACHU STOP!" Ash yelled, but his words didn't reach Pikachu in time and he jumped off the cliff. "NO PIKACHU!" Ash yelled as he jumped off the cliff after Pikachu. Ash quickly put his right arm around Pikachu and used his left to grab onto a stray branch.

"Just hold on Pikachu." Ash said holding Pikachu close. Pikachu didn't listen and began struggling. "Pikachu, hold still." Ash said, but Pikachu began shocking him again. "AHHH!" Ash screamed in pain. Once the shock ended, Ash began breathing heavily and he began losing his grip on the branch.

"Aw no...s..s..SOMEONE HELP!" Ash yelled. Just as he yelled he saw a rope fall next to him. "Huh, Who's up there?" Ash asked.

"Ash, it's us."

"Marill Mar."

Ash looked up and saw Twilight, Marill and Birch holding the rope. "Twilight, Professor, am I glad to see you two." Ash said with a smile.

"Hurry Ash, grab the rope and we'll pull you up." Birch said.

"Right." Ash said with a nod. He then let got of the branch and quickly grabbed onto the rope before he could fall. Twilight, Birch and Marill quickly pulled him up, but as they did Pikachu began struggling again.

"Pikachu, please calm down!" Ash said. Pikachu didn't listen and began shocking Ash again. "AHH!" Ash screamed in pain.

"ASH/MAR!" Birch, Twilight and Marill screamed.

"I...I'm fine, Pikachu…..please stop." Ash said looking down a Pikachu. Pikachu just kept struggling and without warning he bit Ash and also proceeded to shock him again. "AHHH!" Ash screamed.

"ASH!" Twilight yelled in a worried tone.

"Just hold on!" Birch said. Once the shock was over, Ash's sight began to blur and his grip began to slowly loosen.

"Pika...chu." Ash said quietly. Pikachu's ears twitched a bit and he quickly looked up to Ash.

"Pika Pi?" Pikachu said.

"Don't worry, e...everything will be...alright." Ash said weakly with a small smile.

"Pika Pi." Pikachu said in a sad tone. Ash then looked back up to Twilight, Birch, Marill.

"Guys hurry, I can't hold on much longer." Ash said. Twilight, Birch and Marill all nodded and continued to pull Ash up until he was back on solid ground. Ash crawled away from the cliff and fell onto his side.

"Ash!" Twilight said running up to him.

"Marill!" Marill said following Twilight.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked kneeling down to him.

"Ugh, yea I'm...fine, what about you pal?" Ash asked Pikachu. Pikachu only looked at Ash with a face of guilt and began nuzzling him.

"Pika Pi, Pikachu." Pikachu said.

"I told you, I'm fine." Ash said with a small smile.

"Come on, let's get these two back to the lab. Twilight you carry Pikachu and I'll carry Ash." Birch said grabbing ash and putting him on his back. Twilight nodded and grabbed Pikachu.

"It'll be alright, don't worry." Twilight said to Pikachu.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu said. Marill then jumped onto Twilight shoulder and she looked at Pikachu.

" _Hey, you ok_?" She asked.

" _Well...other than my entire body hurting, I'm fine_." Pikachu said with a small smile. Marill giggled. Just as they all began to leave, a huge red robot landed in front of them.

"W..what the heck is that?" Birch asked in shock.

"I have a...pretty good idea." Ash said with a small growl.

 _Team Rocket Theme_

Prepare for trouble for the upmteenth time

Make it double and I'll make it rhyme

To protect the world from devastation!

To unite all people within our nation!

To denounce the evils of truth and love!

To extend our reach to the stars above!

Jessie!

James!

Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!

Surrender now or prepare for an out of this world fight!

WHAT'S THE POINT!?

That's right!

"Team Rocket!" Ash said angrily.

"Not you three again!" Twilight said glaring at the trio.

"You know them?" Birch asked.

"They're a bunch of crook who are always trying to take Pikachu from me." Ash explained.

"I've never heard of them before." Birch said.

"Trust us, they're nothing more than a bunch no go crooks." Twilight seethed.

"Aww can it Twerpette, now let's get to work." Meowth said as he Jessie and James got into the robot.

"So Pikachu, where's all you're thunderbolts?" Meowth mocked.

"My aren't we confident." James said.

"And for good reason, you see this machine will beat that Pikachu at it's own nasty game. Now matter how many volts he shoots, this machine will absorb them." Meowth said with a smile. Pikachu glared at the robot and tried to free itself from Twilight's arms.

"No Pikachu, you're not ready to fight right now." Twilight said holding Pikachu back.

"Oh so that's how you want to play, fine with us!" Meowth said as he pressed a button and a claw shot out of it's chest and it grabbed Pikachu.

"NO!" Twilight said trying to pull Pikachu back. Ash tried to get off on the professor's back, but Birch kept hold of him.

"Ash you're hurt to badly, you can't do anything." Birch said. Ash gritted his teeth, if he hated one thing it's the feeling of being useless. Twilight tried her best, but she lost her grip and fell to the ground.

"Pikachu!/Marill!" Twilight, Ash and Marill said in a worried tone. The claw then brought Pikachu up to the robot and then the robot put two suction cups on Pikachu's cheeks.

"Absorption James." Meowth ordered.

"You got it." James said pulling down a lever. As soon as he did, the suction cups began absorbing Pikachu's electricity.

"HAHAHAHA, what an electrifying moment for Team Rocket." Meowth said.

"Shocking!" James said with a smile.

"Whatever." Jessie said in a bored tone. Pikachu groaned in pain while the machine was still absorbing his electricity.

"Pika..chu." Ash said weakly. Twilight quickly got off the ground and looked to Marill.

"Marill use Water Gun." Twilight commanded.

"No if Marill uses water gun now, Marill will get shocked as well." Birch said. Twilight gritted her teeth.

"Then what do we do!" Twilight said angrily. Before Birch could answer, a lightening bolt nearly hit him.

"What the!?" Twilight, Ash and Birch all looked back at the robot and saw that the electricity being absorbed from Pikachu was getting more intense.

"What's going on?" Meowth asked getting worried.

"I'm not sure, but Pikachu's electricity levels are exceeding what we thought they were." James said in a panic. Jessie's eyes widened a bit and got a bit interested.

"It's exceeding the levels?" Jessie asked.

"Professor?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu's output it's incredible." Birch said. Twilight and Marill both looked in awe.

"That's actually really impressive." Twilight said.

"Marill." Marill said a nod.

"This is bad." Meowth said.

"What ever gave you that idea?" James asked sarcastically.

"Oh well, another blast off." Jessie said. After a few seconds, the suction cups stopped absorbing and Pikachu surprisingly felt...better.

" _Whoa my body doesn't hurt anymore, I can't believe I'm saying this but thanks Team Rocket. Now, let me return the favor._ " Pikachu thought as he used Thunderbolt and shocked the robot along with Team Rocket on the inside.

"Whoa!" Ash said in awe.

"Amazing." Twilight said.

"I was wrong all along, we haven't been wasting our time. This amazing Pikachu is the only thing the Boss would want." Jessie said as she and her Teammates were getting shocked.

"Yea..great." Meowth said. "

But have we captured too much of a good thing!" James said.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said with a salute.

"Do you all smell something burning?" Jessie asked.

"I THINK WE'RE SMELLING US!" Jessie, James and Meowth said before the Machine exploded and sent them flying.

"Quite a Thunderbolt." Meowth said.

 **"** It has renewed my energy and Passion." Jessie said with a huge smile on her face.

"Wobbuffet." Wobbuffet said with another salute.

"Here we go again." James said.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING AGAIN!" Team Rocket said before disappearing in the wild blue yonder. As the smoke from the explosion clear, Ash, Twilight, Marill and Birch all saw Pikachu standing tall with a small smile on it's face.

"Pika!" Pikachu said proudly before collapsing from exhaustion.

"Pikachu!" Twilight said running over and Picking Pikachu up.

"He must be exhausted." Birch said.

"Yea well, he's not the only..one." Ash said before blacking out himself.

"Come on Twilight, let's get back to the lab." Birch said walking away. Twilight nodded and followed the professor.

 _Timeskip_

"Professor, it seems Pikachu's electricity pressure has reached normal levels again." Joshua said as he was examining Pikachu. Marill was sitting next to Pikachu the entire time he was being treated.

"Good, that machine of Team Rocket's must have removed all of Pikachu's unneeded electricity. All it needs now is to get some rest. Keep an eye on him Joshua, I'm going to go check on the kids." Birch said before leaving the room. Marill kept looking at Pikachu and she smiled.

" _Pikachu, you're going to be just fine."_ Marill said.

 _With Twilight and Ash_

"That was reckless!" Twilight said to Ash as she wrapped some bandages around his head and his arm.

"I know, sorry." Ash said looking down. Twilight finished wrapping the bandages and looked at him.

"It's alright, I just can't believe you went that far for Pikachu." Twilight said.

"Why wouldn't I, Pikachu's my number one partner and buddy." Ash said with a smile. Upon hearing that, Twilight immediately thought of her former friend Spike and how he always said he would be her number one assistant. She then looked away.

"You're lucky to have Pikachu by your side." Twilight said with a frown. Ash heard the sadness in Twilight's voice.

"Is something wrong Twilight?" Ash asked in concern. Twilight didn't answer. Ash then put a hand on her head and began ruffling her hair.

"Look if you don't want to talk about it that's fine, but if you ever need too I'm here." Ash said with a smile. Twilight looked back to him and she soon remembered Arceus's words.

" _If you want to tell him that's entirely up to you."_ Twilight then took a deep breath.

"Ash, there's something I have to tell you and it's really important." She said. Ash cocked an eyebrow before speaking.

"Ok, what is it?" He asked. Twilight hesitated for a minute before speaking up again.

"You remember when I said wasn't from around here?" She asked. Ash nodded.

"Well, it's actually more complicated than that." Twilight said looking down.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked confused. Twilight then took another deep breath and began to explain her origin and how she came to this world while keeping Arceus out of it. She then told him about what transpired at her brother's wedding and how all of her friends left her for someone they just met. "And that's pretty much it." Twilight said. She then looked to Ash who's eyes were wide from what he had just been told.

" _I knew it, he thinks I'm crazy."_ Twilight thought looking down.

"Wow...just..wow." Ash said as he put a hand on his head.

"I..I know it sounds crazy, but it's true." Twilight said. Ash took a moment to process everything before speaking.

"Well if what you say is true, all I have to say is those so-called friends of yours and your brother are a bunch of jerks." Ash said. Twilight's eyes widened in shock.

"Wait...you...believe me?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I doubt you could make a story like that up and you given me no reason not to trust you. I mean you saved Pikachu when we first met and you saved me not too long ago. Thanks for that by the way." Ash said with a smile. Twilight just kept staring at Ash with wide eyes. Before she could say anything, the Professor walked into the room.

"How are you feeling Ash?" He asked. "I'm fine don't worry, how's Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"He's fine, just resting right now. Pikachu should be up and around by tomorrow morning." Birch said with a smile. Ash sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness, thank you professor." Ash said. Twilight smiled and was relieved to hear that Pikachu was alright.

"It's no problem, now I have a few questions for you Ms. Twilight." Birch said. Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"Um ok, what do you want to know?" She asked.

"Well earlier today when you helped me with those Poochyena, you said that you were new to all of this, right?" Birch asked. Twilight nodded.

"And forgive me, but I couldn't help but overhear what you told Ash and if what you say is true then you have no idea how things work in this world, right?" He asked. Twilight nodded again.

"I see, well I guess I have no choice now." Birch said.

"Huh?" Ash and Twilight said in confusion.

"Well since you're going to be living here, I think the best thing for you to do is become a trainer like Ash." Birch said smiling. Twilight looked at the Professor for a good minute before speaking.

"Me...A trainer?" Twilight said in confusion.

"I think it's a great idea, this way you won't look like a clueless little girl." Ash said with a smirk.

"What's that suppose to mean and I'm not little, I'm 16." Twilight said glaring at Ash.

"And I'm 17 little one." Ash said still smirking.

"Why you!" Twilight seethed.

"HAHAHAHA, You both are hilarious." Birch said laughing his butt off.

"Haha, I'm joking Twilight." Ash said before ruffling her hair. Twilight pouted and crossed her arms.

"Well, it wasn't funny." She said.

"I know, sorry." Ash said with smile. Twilight saw Ash's smile and her face softened a bit.

"It's fine." She said before turning back to professor Birch.

"Professor, I'd like to take you up on your offer." Twilight said.

"Excellent, Twilight come with me." Birch said walking out of the room. Twilight nodded and followed birch out of the room.

"I'm going to go check on Pikachu, I'll see you later." Ash said.

"Ok, just don't over do it." Twilight said.

"I won't, promise." Ash said.

 _With Marill and Pikachu_

Pikachu slowly began opening his eyes and saw Marill sitting beside him. " _Hey sleepyhead."_ Marill said with a smile. Pikachu smiled back.

" _Hi, how long was I out for?"_ Pikachu asked as he tried to get up. Marill then put a paw on Pikachu and laid him back down.

" _You're still hurt, just stay still. You've been out for a few hours now and we've all been worried sick about you and Ash."_ Marill said. Pikachu's eyes widened as he remembered what happened earlier.

" _Oh no Ash, is he alright?"_ Pikachu said in a panic. Before Marill could answer, the door to the room opened and Ash walked in.

"Hey buddy, you're awake." Ash said with a smile. Pikachu just stared for a minute before forcing himself up and jumped into Ash's arms.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu said happily.

"Good to see you too pal." Ash said hugging his partner. Marill looked on with a smile before leaving to room to look for Twilight.

"How ya feeling?" Ash asked putting Pikachu back on the table.

"Pika Pika, Pikachu." Pikachu said with a smile.

"Still hurting a bit, huh? Don't worry, the professor said you'll be alright by tomorrow morning." Ash said.

"Pika Pika, Pika Pi?" Pikachu asked.

"Oh Twilight's with the professor right now, she going to become a trainer like me and buddy do I have a story for you." Ash said. Pikachu tilted his head in confusion.

"Pika?" He asked.

"Well you see…"

 _Timeskip_

The next morning, Ash and Pikachu were walking through the lab looking for Twilight and Marill. "Where are they" Ash asked.

"Pika." Pikachu said shrugging his shoulders.

"Well good morning Ash." Ash and Pikachu turned to see Professor Birch walking towards them.

"Good morning to you too Professor." Ash said with a smile.

"Pika Pikachu." Pikachu said.

"It's good to see you both are feeling better." Birch said.

"Thanks, have you seen Twilight and Marill around?" Ash asked.

"Well, the last time I saw her was last night in the lab's library." Birch said crossing his arms.

"I'll go check there then, thanks professor." Ash said before walking away.

"Once you find her, are you both gonna head out?" Birch asked. Ash thought about this before answered.

"I guess so, I wanna register for the Hoenn League as soon as possible and head to the first gym." Ash said.

"If that's the case, I'll give you something that might help you both on your journey." Birch said walking away.

"What do you think he's going to give us?" Ash asked his partner.

"Pika." Pikachu said shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh well, let's find Twilight." Ash said as walked to the library.

 _Lab Library_

Ash and Pikachu arrived at the library and looked around for Twilight. "Twilight, you in here?" Ash called out.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu called out as well. There was no answer.

"I guess she's not here either." Ash said.

"Pika." Pikachu said. Just then, Pikachu's ears twitched and jumped off of Ash's shoulder. "Pika Pika." Pikachu said as he ran off.

"Wait for me pal." Ash said following Pikachu. After a few minutes, Pikachu stopped in front on a desk where a sleeping Twilight and Marill were surrounded by books. Ash Finally caught up and looked at Twilight sleeping.

"Aww, that's adorable." Ash said with a chuckle. He then went over to Twilight and tried to wake her up. "Twilight, it's time to get up." Ash said shaking her. Pikachu made his way over to Marill and tied to wake her up as well.

" _Marill, wake up."_ Pikachu said. Twilight's eyes slowly opened and she let out a yawn.

"Oh Ash, Morning." She said rubbing her eyes.

"Morning to you too, Have you been in here all night?" Ash asked.

"Yea, I was studying more about this world and the Pokemon that inhabit it. I can't believe there are over 700 different pokemon and 6 different regions where they're native to." Twilight said with a smile.

"I know what you mean, so many Pokemon to discover and so many new people to meet. I can tell this next chapter of our journey is going to be awesome, right Pikachu?" Ash asked his partner who was still trying to wake up Marill.

"Pika Pikachu. Pika Pika Pi." Pikachu said shaking Marill. Marill opened her eyes and yawned.

" _Ok ok, I'm up."_ Marill said stretching out her paws.

" _Good morning to you too Marill."_ Pikachu said with a smile _._

" _Oh sorry Pikachu, good morning."_ Marill said smiling back.

"Well look who's finally awake." Twilight said.

"You're one to talk, you slept through breakfast." Ash said with a smirk.

"Oh shut up! By the way, I have something to ask you." Twilight said.

"Sure, what's up?" Ash asked.

"During my studies, I found out the some people and Pokemon battle alongside one another to enter some sort of league, is that true?" Twilight asked. Ash's face lit up and he gave Twilight smile.

"You bet it is, let me explain. You see I'm here to enter the Hoenn League and become Pokemon Master." He said. Ash looked at him in confusion.

"A Pokemon Master?" She asked.

"That's right, you see ever since I was a kid I wanted to be the very best trainer like no one ever was and the only way to do that is to win in a Pokemon League. I've entered two leagues a few years ago and lost in both, but that's not going to stop me. I know I'll reach my goal someday." Ash said putting his hand over his heart. Twilight stared at Ash for a few seconds before smiling at him.

"That actually sounds really cool, but i'm not so sure about the whole battling thing." She said.

"Why, battling is a way for you and your pokemon to connect and bond with each other. The reason me and Pikachu are so close is because of the battles and adventures he and I have been in together these past few years." Ash said with a smile.

"Pika Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu said smiling as well. Twilight looked at Ash and Pikachu before looking at Marill.

"Marill, do like to battle?" She asked. Marill thought about this before answering.

"Marill!" Marill said nodding her head. Pikachu looked to Marill with shock.

" _You really like to battle?"_ He asked.

" _Yea, I use to spar with the pokemon in that old warehouse area for a long time."_ Marill said with a sheepish smile. Pikachu smiled at Marill.

" _Well, aren't you full of surprises."_ He said.

" _You got that right and you'll find them out soon enough."_ Marill said as she winked at nodded back and looked to Ash.

"Ash is that the reason you're here, to enter the Pokemon League in this region?" Twilight asked.

"That's right." Ash said.

"If that's the case, I'll enter too." Twilight said getting up from her seat with determination in her eyes. Ash, Pikachu and Marill looked at her with wide eyes.

"Um...where did that come from?" Ash asked in confusion.

"I want to learn more about this world and I think going on a journey can help me with that. The professor told me the basics about being a trainer and the different types of Trainers." Twilight said.

"I see well if that's your choice then more power to ya, just know that as soon as you enter the Hoenn League you and I will be rivals." Ash said with a smile.

 **"** That's fine with me." Twilight said smiling back. Marill and Pikachu both looked at their respective trainers and sighed.

" _Well, here we go again."_ Pikachu said shrugging his shoulders.

" _I guess Twilight's just as hot headed as Ash is." Marill said with a giggle._

"Oh and I have a question for you Ash." Twilight said. "

Well, let's see if I have an answer." Ash said with a smirk.

"Smart mouth. Anyway, do you mind if me and Marill tag along with you?" Twilight asked.

"Sure I don't mind at all, traveling with friends is way more fun than traveling alone." Ash said without a moment of hesitation.

"Sweet, thank you!" Twilight said with a smile.

 _Timeskip_

Ash, Pikachu, Twilight and Marill walked out of the Lab with Professor Birch behind them. "So are you both ready?" Birch asked.

"You bet we are." Ash said fistpump.

"Yea, I triple checked everything." Twilight said putting a backpack she got from Birch on her back.

"That's great, now I want to give you both something before you head out." Birch said putting his hand in his pocket before pulling out two Pokedexes.

A/N: The Dexes from ORAS.

"Aww sweet, new Pokedexes." Ash said taking one of the Dexes.

"I remember this thing, it helped me learn Marill's moves." Twilight said taking hers.

"That right, as Ash said it's called a Pokedex and it has the information of every pokemon found in all 6 of the different regions." Birch said with a smile.

"Wow that's awesome." Ash said.

"I know right." Twilight said with a smile.

"Perfect you two are all set, do you remember where to go from here?" Birch asked.

"Yup, first we head to Oldale town to register for the Hoenn League." Ash said.

"And then we head to the first gym in Petalburg City." Twilight said.

"Um..while it's true there's a gym in Petalburg City, I'm afraid you'll need 4 badges to actually challenge it." Birch said.

"WHAT/PIKA/MAR!?" Ash, Twi, Pikachu sand Marill yelled.

"Sorry kids, but that's the rules of that specific gym. So might I suggest you both head to Rustboro City for your first gym badge." Birch said trying to cheer the group up.

"I guess that'll work, what do you say Twilight?" Ash asked.

"I'm fine with it." Twilight said.

"Alright, then let's get going." Ash said with a smile.

"Yea." Twilight said also smiling.

" _This is going to be an interesting adventure._ " Pikachu said.

" _You can say that again."_ Marill said.

"Be careful you two and look after one another." Birch said.

"We will." Ash said.

"Pika/Mar." Pikachu and Marill said waving.

"See you again soo Professor and thank you for everything." With that said Ash and Twilight began walking away. Birch watched as the two teens left.

" _I can tell those two are going to a one hell of a time together._ " Birch thought with a chuckle.

 _Narrator:_ _With Pikachu fully recovered, Ash and Twilight can begin their journey together. As they head to Oldale Town and the Nearest Pokemon Center. Together they are sure to discover new Pokemon and new friends as well. One thing is for sure, even more exciting adventures lie just ahead._

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

_Narrator: After all the craziness that went down in Littleroot Town, Twilight and Ash begin their journey through the Hoenn Region together and are now Headed to Oldale town where they will both enter for the Hoenn League._

"According to the PokeDex, we should arrive in Oldale Town by tomorrow morning." Ash said.

"That's great, I can't wait to enter the League. This is going to be great" Twilight said with a smile.

"Marill Mar." Marill said.

"You got that right." Ash said also smiling.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu said.

 _Pokemon: Advanced_

"So you entered the Kanto and Johto leagues and few years back?" Twilight asked.

"That's right, in Kanto I lost because my Charizard wouldn't listen to me and in Johto I lost to my friend Harrison. He was the one who told me to come to the Hoenn Region and enter the league here." Ash said with a smile.

"It's nice to know you're still friends with him even though he beat you."Twilight said with a smile.

"Of course, I'm not one for holding grudges and it was an awesome battle." Ash said.

"Pika Pikachu." Pikachu said. Twilight and Marill giggled.

"I see, what about Charizard?" Twilight asked.

"It took a long time, but Charizard finally came around during our time traveling the Orange Islands. He's one the strongest pokemon I have and the most reliable." Ash said.

"Pika." Pikachu said with a pout.

"Second only to you buddy." Ash said as he ruffled Pikachu's head. Twilight watched to two and looked to Marill.

"They're pretty close, huh?" She asked.

"Marill Mar." Marill said with a nod. Twilight then thought back to something Ash had said to her.

"Battling is a way for you and your pokemon to connect and bond with each other. The reason me and Pikachu are so close is because of the battles and adventures he and I have been through together." His words kept running through her head and soon she stopped walking. Ash noticed this and turned to Twilight.

"Hey, you ok Twi?" He asked. Pikachu then looked to Marill.

"Is she alright?" He asked.

"I'm not sure, she just stopped." Marill said. Ash then walked up to Twilight.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked in a worried tone. Twilight then looked to Ash and took a deep breath.

"Ash, I want to have a battle with you." She said. Ash's eyes widened at Twilight's request.

"Wait, what?" Ash asked.

"You heard me Ash, I challenge you to a battle." Twilight said pointing to him. Ash, Pikachu and Marill were shocked by what Twilight had just said.

"You're serious?" Ash asked.

"Yes I'm serious, if I'm going to be competing in the Hoenn League I'm going to need to practice battling and you said yourself that battling is a way for me and Marill to connect, right?" Twilight asked with a serious look on her face.

"Well I did say that and I guess you do need the practice. Pikachu, how about it?" Ash asked his partner. Pikachu took a minute before looking at Marill.

" _Are you up for this_?" He asked her.

" _Sure, I could use a challenge_." Marill said with a smirk.

" _Oh it's on_." Pikachu said as he turned to Ash. "Pika Pika Pikachu." Pikachu said with determination in his eyes.

"Well Pikachu is in, so i guess I am too! Bring it Twilight!" Ash said with a confident smile. Twilight smiled back at him and looked to Marill.

"You ready?" She asked her partner.

"Marill." Marill said with her eyes filled with the same determination Pikachu had.

"Alright, let's do this." Twilight said with a smile. Ash then took a quick look around the area.

"There's a small clearing ahead, let's do this over there." Ash said as he began walking. Twilight nodded and followed. As soon as they arrived at the clearing, Ash and Twilight faced each other on opposite sides of it.

"Alright Pikachu, let's rock." Ash said in a confident tone.

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu said as he jumped off of Ash's shoulder.

"Ready Marill?" Twilight asked.

"Marill Mar!" Marill said before jumping off of Twilight's shoulder.

" _Don't hold anything back Marill_." Pikachu said.

" _Same to you_." Marill said.

 _ **Twilight VS Ash!**_

Twilight quickly took out her Pokedex and looked over Marill's type and moves. " _Ok, Marill's a water type (Obviously) and a Fairy type. She has Rollout, Water gun and Bubblebeam_." She then pointed her dex to Pikachu. " _Well, I already knew Pikachu was an electric type, and his attacks are Thunderbolt, Thunder, Quick Attack and Double Team. From what I read back at the lab, Water types and a huge disadvantage against electric types. So I have to avoid those electric attacks and strike when I have the chance_." Twilight thought as she put her dex away.

"Go time, Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded. Pikachu quickly jumped into the air and began charging his attack.

"PI-KA-CHUUUU!" Pikachu yelled as he released a bolt of lightning from his cheeks.

"Marill dodge it and then use Bubblebeam!" Twilight commanded. Marill jumped backwards to avoid the Thunderbolt.

"MAR-RRRRIIILL!" Marill said as she fired multiple bubbles from her mouth.

"Uh-oh, Pikachu use your tail to knock them all back!" Ash said. Pikachu then extended his tail and in mid-air he began spinning like a top. The bubbles heading towards Pikachu were now being sent back to Marill.

"Marill, watch out!" Twilight said in a worried tone, but it was too late. The bubbles being sent back were now hitting Marill, but they weren't doing that much damage to her.

"Chill Twilight, water type moves aren't very effective against pokemon of the same type." Ash explained. Twilight sighed in relief.

"Marill, you ok?" She asked.

"Marill." Marill said with a nod.

"Good, then let's get back at it. Use Rollout!" Twilight commanded. Marill quickly curled up and began rolling toward Pikachu with great speed.

"Quick Attack, let's go!" Ash commanded. Pikachu was surrounded by a white aura and he began charging toward Marill with amazing speed. Marill and Pikachu collided with each other and Pikachu without any effort pushed Marill back.

"Marill!" Marill cried as she was flying backwards into a tree.

"Marill!" Twilight said. Marill slid down the tree and landed on the ground.

"Ma..rill." She said as she got back up.

"Wow Marill's tough." Ash commented.

"Pika." Pikachu said with a nod. Marill then walked back over to the field and nodded at Twilight. Twilight then smiled at her and got her head back in the battle.

"We're not done yet." She said to Ash with a confident smile.

"Good because me and Pikachu are just getting warmed up, right buddy?" Ash asked his partner.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said as his cheeks sparked. Both trainers looked at each other in silence for a few second before they called out their next attacks.

"Marill use Water Gun!" Twilight commanded.

"MAR-RRRRIIILLL!" Marill yelled as fired a stream of water from her mouth.

"Pikachu, Double Team!" Ash commanded. Pikachu spread his arms out and after a few seconds multiple Pikachu's began appearing one after another.

"What the!?" Twilight asked in shock. The stream of water hit one of the Pikachu's and once it did the Pikachu disappeared.

"Double Team is a very useful move, good for confusing your opponent. Pikachu, Thunder!" Ash commanded. All the Pikachu jumped into the air. Twilight quickly composed herself.

"Marill use Bubblebeam on all of them." Twilight said. Marill quickly fired multiple bubbles at all the Pikachu, causing all of them to disappear.

" _What, where are you_!?" Marill said looking around for Pikachu.

"Marill behind you!" Twilight said in a worried tone. Marill looked behind her and saw Pikachu falling down.

"PIKA-CHUUUU!" Pikachu yelled as he stuck Marill with his Thunder attack.

"MARILL!" Marill screamed in pain.

"Marill!" Twilight said. Once the attack was over, Marill fell to the ground with swirls in her eyes.

"Marill!" Twilight said running over to Marill. Pikachu went back over to Ash and jumped onto his shoulder.

"Nice battle buddy." Ash said.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said with a smile. Ash then made his way over to Twilight who was holding Marill in her arms.

"Are you ok?" Twilight asked her partner. Marill opened her eyes and smiled.

"Marill Mar." Marill said weakly.

"Thank goodness." Twilight said hugging Marill. She then saw Ash and Pikachu walking over.

"Not bad for your first battle Twilight." Ash said with a smile. "Pika Pika." Pikachu said with a nod.

"Thanks, but Marill really got hurt." Twilight said. Ash then took off his backpack and pulled out a Super Potion.

"Hold still Marill." Ash said sprayed the potion onto Marill. Marill flinched a bit, but endured the pain of the medicine.

"What was that?" Twilight asked.

"A Super Potion, it heals a pokemon's wounds." Ash explains. Twilight nodded and looked at Marill.

"How do you feel Marill?" She asked.

"Marill!" Marill said with a smile.

"Good." Twilight said nuzzling Marill. Pikachu then jumped off of Ash's shoulder and landed on Twilight.

" _I didn't hurt you too bad, did I_?" He asked Marill.

" _Nah, it's fine Pikachu. I'm use to battling remember, I can handle a small Thunderbolt_." Marill said winking at Pikachu. Pikachu smiled and nodded. Twilight smiled at the two and she then looked to Ash.

"Thank you." She said.

"No problem, want to have lunch?" Ash asked. Before Twilight could answer, her stomach began growling and she blushed.

"I think that'd be a good idea." She said.

 _Timeskip_

Ash and Twilight had finished their lunch and continued onto Oldale town.

"When do you think we should stop?" Twilight asked. Ash took out his Pokedex to check the time.

"It's only 3:30 right now, I think we can stop and set up camp at around six." Ash answered.

"Sounds good to me." Twilight said with a smile. The two trainers walked in silence for a few minutes until Twilight spoke up again.

"Tell me something." She said. Ash raised an eyebrow at her request.

"What?" He asked. "When I told you about me and where I come from, why did you believe me without question?" Twilight asked. Ash looked at her for a few seconds before smiling.

"I admit your story was crazy, but you don't seem like the kind of person to lie. That and I highly doubt you can make a story like that up." He said.

"You said that yesterday." Twilight stated.

"And now I'm saying it again, It doesn't matter to me what you are or where you come from. Actually I think you're better off traveling with me then those so called friends of yours, seriously who turns their back on there friend for someone they just met?" Ash asked angrily.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu said with a frown.

"Marill mar." Marill said with a nod. Twilight felt a bit better hearing this.

"I think you're right, I'm glad I came here." She said with a smile.

"And we're glad to have ya." Ash said smiling back at her.

"Pika Pikachu." Pikachu said.

"Marill." Marill said.

"Thanks you guys." Twilight said with a light blush on her face.

"Hey, how about you tell me about your home and what it's like. I'm sure Pikachu and Marill would like to hear all about it too." Ash said.

Twilight was shocked by this. "Are you sure, I don't want to bore you all with it." She said.

"Are you kidding, we're about to learn about an entirely different world. Do you how awesome that sounds?" Ash asked excitingly.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said.

"Mar Marill!" Marill said with a smile.

"If you all really don't mind, I guess I should start with the founding of Equestria." Twilight said getting ready to tell a very long story.

 _ **A/N:**_

 _You all saw this coming I know, but Twilight's just going to get better. I know this was a short chapter, but the next one will make up for it. Hope you all enjoyed._

 _Ash: We made it!_

 _Twilight: So this is Oldale town._

 _Next Time: A Ruin with a View._


	6. Chapter 6

_Narrator: Ash and Twilight continue their trek to Oldale town as Twilight also continues her tales of Equestria and the life she left behind._

"Wait, so you faced a God of Chaos AND a mare who wanted nothing but to blanket the world in darkness?" Ash asked in shock.

"Yup, that was during my first and second year in Ponyville." Twilight replied.

"That's awesome, You're like a superhero Twi." Ash said with a smile. Twilight blushed and smiled back.

"Oh stop it, it wasn't as impressive as you might think it is." She said.

"Are you kidding, I wish- hey, look at that." Ash said pointing ahead. Twilight, Marill and Pikachu all looked ahead as well to see a bipedal Pokémon that had a red body with a yellow, flame-shaped marking on its stomach. Its head is covered with large lumps, and a rounded, yellow beak.

"What is that?" Twilight asked before pulling out her Pokedex.

" _Magby, the Live Coal Pokémon. Magby is the_ _pre-evolved form_ _of_ _Magmar_ _. Despite its small_ _size_ _, it is a tough opponent and produces an extremely hot flame._ "

"So it's a fire type, huh?" Twilight asked.

"Yup, and one with the potential to become really strong to." Ash said with a confident smile. Marill and Pikachu both looked at one another.

" _I know that smile."_ Pikachu said shaking his head.

" _What do you mean?_ " Marill asked.

" _You'll see."_ Pikachu said.

"Pikachu, how about we catch our first new teammate?" Ash asked his partner.

" _I knew it."_ Pikachu said with a chuckle.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said jumping off of Ash's shoulder.

"Alright let's-" "Ash, do you mind if I catch this one?" Twilight asked cutting Ash off. Ash's excitement dropped as soon as he heard that.

"Aww come on Twi." Ash whined.

"I'm sorry, but how am I supposed to grow as a trainer if I don't have practice?" Twilight said with a pout. Pikachu and Marill looked at each other again.

" _You wanna take this?"_ Pikachu asked. Marill smiled excitedly and jumped out of Twilight's arms.

"Marill?" Twilight asked. Marill ran up to Pikachu.

" _I got this."_ She said winking at Pikachu. Pikachu nodded and went back to Ash.

"Pika Pika, Pikachu." Pikachu said to Ash.

"You too huh?" Ash asked.

"Pika." Pikachu said with a smile.

"Ok ok, go on Twi." Ash said. Twilight nodded and stepped forward.

"Thanks Ash. Ready Marill!" Twilight asked.

"Mar!" Marill said facing the Magby. Looking back at Pikachu one more time, she readied herself with a mental thought

" _Just watch Pikachu, I'll show you just how amazing I am!"_

 _Pokemon: Advanced_

Twilight and Marill were facing off against the Magby and were ready to battle. " _Ok Magby is a fire type, that means Marill has the advantage since she's a water type."_ Twilight thought with a smile, remembering what she read in the library last night.

"Good luck Twi." Ash cheered. " _Good luck Marill"_ Pikachu cheered. Twilight and Marill smiled at the support they've been given.

"Thanks guys. Alright Marill, use Water Gun!" Twilight commanded. Marill quickly jumped into the air.

"MA-RILLLL!" She yelled as she fired a stream of water from her mouth. The Magby dodged out of the way and glared at Marill.

"Magby, MAG-BY!" Magby yelled as he fired a Flamethrower at Marill. "Marill, Dodge and use Bubblebeam!" Twilight commanded. Marill swiftly moved to the left and fired her bubblebeam hitting the magby in it's face.

"Direct hit and Super effective. Not bad, huh buddy?" Ash asked his partner.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said with a nod, admiring Marill's battling ability

" _So far so good."_ Pikachu noted.

Twilight smiled and took a pokeball from her bag.

"Moment of truth time, Go Pokeball!" Twilight yelled as she threw the ball at Magby. From what she had read at the library, the lower the Pokemon's energy, the greater the chance of capture. And after a super effective attack like that, how much energy could that Magby possibly have.

The ball connected with Magby's head, bouncing off Magby and opening mid-air. A red beam shot forth from the inside of the ball, connecting right where the ball had initially hit. Magby's body then turned entirely red, becoming some kind of energy, and returning back to the center of the ball. The ball quickly snap shut and dropped back down to the ground, finally deciding to obey the laws of gravity once again. Twilight looked back at Ash, giving him a curious look.

"Are you sure there's no magic in this world?"

"Uh, no, why do you ask?" Ash replied.

Before Twilight could respond, the ball began to shake, making a quiet noise as it tilted from left, to right, to left, and back to the right. Forgetting her original question due to her immeasurable anticipation, she kept her eyes glued to the position of the red and white ball.

"This is the best and most intense moment in a trainer's life." Ash said with a smile, remembering his first capture.

"Pika." Pikachu said smiling as well. The ball shook one more time and soon….it popped back open and released the Magby.

"WHAT?!/MAR?!" Twilight and Marill screamed in simultaneous disbelief.

"Did I mention this might also be the most disappointing moment in a trainer's life?" Ash asked with a chuckle. Pikachu wanted to laugh, but he quickly covered his mouth as both Twi and Marill turned toward him with a scowl.

"Oh be quiet you two, I'll catch him ne- HEY!" Twilight said as she watched the Magby run away.

" _Oh no you don't!"_ Marill said running after the Magby, not thinking after hearing Pikachu's stifled chuckle. Pikachu saw this and he began to worry.

" _Marill hold on, don't go on your own!"_ Pikachu said jumping off of Ash's shoulder and following her.

"Pikachu!/Marill!" Ash and Twilight said going after their respective partners.

 _With Marill_

" _Where are you?"_ Marill thought as she looked around for the Magby.

" _MARILL!"_ Marill turned to see Pikachu running up to her.

" _What are you doing here?" Marill asked._

" _What am I doing? What are_ _ **you**_ _doing? You know better than to go off on your own."_ Pikachu scolded.

" _I'm just trying to help Twilight." Marill said._

" _How are you going to help her if she's not even around, she's your partner and you need to stay by her side."_ Pikachu said. Marill looked down and sighed.

" _I'm sorry, I just wanted...to show you I can handle this." Marill said with a light blush on her face. Pikachu raised an eyebrow at Marill._

" _What do you mean 'Show me' Marill, You make it sound like I doubt your abilities."_ He said. Marill looked down abit and Pikachu noticed this.

" _You think I do, don't you?_ " He asked. Marill nodded.

" _Why?"_ He asked again, a mixture of concern and curiosity in his eyes.

" _Well because, I...I don't. *sigh* You're just so much better than me!"_ She yelled, although not being her intention to. Pikachu, rightfully a little shocked, quickly composed himself and looked quizzically at Marill.

" _What do you mean?"_ He asked.

" _You know exactly what I mean! Ash has said so many great things about you and how many battles you've won. Your Thunderbolt can destroy massive machines. I bet you could beat any Pokemon that challenges you. Including me."_ She paused, looking down at the ground, remembering their battle.

" _You beat me without breaking a sweat. And now here we are, me chasing a Magby that I couldn't even damage enough to be caught even though it was a direct hit with a super effective move. So yes, you have every right to doubt my abilities. Any Pokemon would, let alone an amazing one like you."_ Marill said in a sad tone. Pikachu just looked at her and stared at Marill before putting a paw on her shoulder.

" _Ok, let me tell you why I'm not all that great and why what you're saying is craz_ y." Pikachu said. Marill raised an eyebrow.

" _What do you mean_?" She asked. "Well, you see-"

" _THERE THEY ARE!"_

Pikachu and Marill turned around to see the same Magby, but this time he had friends. " _Those are the guys who attacked me_!" The Magby yelled. Standing behind him were a Magmar and a Magmortar, looking just as aggravated as the Magby.

"H _ow dare you hurt my son_!" The Magmar said angrily.

" _Let's teach them a lesson!_ " Magmortar said readying his arm cannons. Pikachu quickly got into a defensive position.

" _I'll tell you the story later, you ready for this?"_ Pikachu asked as his cheeks began to spark. Marill just stared at the Magby line with wide eyes.

" _I..I.._ " Marill couldn't bring herself to speak, her words getting stuck in her throat while staring at the group of powerful fire types, remembering the Haunter's she had feared before.

" _Marill, pull yourself together!"_ Pikachu said. Magby saw Marill hesitating and smiled.

" _GET THE BLUE ONE,_ _FLAMETHROWER!"_ Pikachu turned his head back the the Magby line who all fired their Flamethrowers at Marill. Marill was brought back to her senses, but she had no time to dodge the attack, three sets of fire closing the distance between the two.

" _This is bad."_ Marill said closing her eyes.

 **BANG**

Marill waited for the attacks to hit, but it never came. She slowly opened and saw something that shocked her.

 _ **A/N:**_ _No Pun intended._

Pikachu was standing in front of her, arms stretched out, covered in burn marks, his breaths heavy and forced. He slowly turned around, clearly an arduous action given his current state. However, despite the severe injuries and Marill's expression, which was a perfect mix of shock and sorrow, he had a grin plastered on his face.

 _"S-see, I'm not that...great_ " Pikachu said in a strained tone. Marill stood there, tears filling her eyes, clouding her vision like mist.

"Pikachu, I…" but before she could finish, Pikachu cringed in pain and collapsed. Marill's voice pierced the air like a knife

" _Pikachu_!" She then quickly scuttled up to him and began shaking him quickly, yet still gently.

" _Pikachu wake up_!" Marill said. Her eyes were glued to Pikachu's still body, seemingly forgetting the predicament she was in. All she could focus on was Pikachu.

" _Well that's one down!"_ Magmortar's deep voice brought Marill back to reality, realising the danger she was still in. However that thought didn't last long, as she closed her eyes solemnly. " _Now it's your turn_." the Magmortar said aiming his arm cannon at Marill and an unconscious Pikachu. Marill looked at the Magby and it's family with anger in her eyes.

" _How dare you...HOW DARE YOU!"_ Marill yelled jumping in the air and firing a Water Gun at each of the fire types. The Magby line did their best, but Magby and Magmar both fell to the ground with swirls in their eyes as the powerful stream of water hit both of them. Marill landed back onto the ground and began breathing deeply.

" _That should..oh crap."_ Marill said seeing the Magmortar still on it's feet, despite being soaked with water.

" _You're a strong little shrimp aren't you? But you can't take me down that easily._ " Magmortar said before firing another Flamethrower at her. Marill quickly got out of the way, but she remembered Pikachu was behind her, glancing over to see his unmoving body in the flame's path.

" _MARILL YOU IDIOT!"_ Marill thought scolding herself. The massive torrent of flames kept closing the gap between it and Pikachu. A sudden voice, however, rung from through the trees

"I'M COMING BUDDY!"

Ash said as he ran in through a group of bushes and grabbed Pikachu and rolled out of the way before the Flamethrower could hit him.

"That was too close for comfort." Twilight said running up the same way Ash had dramatically entered.

"You're telling me." Ash said holding Pikachu in his arms. Twilight quickly ran up to Marill and picked her up.

"You ok?" She asked. Marill didn't look her partner in her eyes, but she nodded.

"Good." Twilight then looked at the Magmortar.

"How dare you gang up on our partners." Twilight said angrily.

"Yeah, who do you think you are?" Ash said as well. The Magmortar looked at the two humans and he pointed to his family unconscious on the ground. Ash and Twilight saw this and understood.

"I see, you're mad Marill attacked you and your family." Ash said. The Magmortar nodded.

"If that's what you're mad about then we're sorry, we didn't know that Magby was part of your family." Ash said with a bow. Twilight looked at what Ash was doing and stepped forward and bowed as well.

"Please this was my fault, I was so eager to battle and capture a new first Pokemon. I didn't mean to hurt your Magby." She said. The Magmortar looked at the two humans in front of him and he aimed one of his arm cannons at them. Ash and Twilight both stepped back and Marill cover her head.

"MORTAR! MAGMORTAR!" The Magmortar yelled before he raised his arm cannon in the air and fired a bright light into the sky. Twilight and Ash looked up to see the light heading for the sun and after a few seconds the rays of the Sun intensified.

"Whoa,is it me or did it just get hotter out here." Twilight said fanning herself.

"It's not you, I think that was Sunny Day." Ash Explained.

"What's that?" Twilight asked.

"It's a fire type move that intensifies the heat of the sun to increases the power of other fire type moves." Ash said as he took off his hat and fanned himself with it.

"Mortar!" Magmortar said as turned to his family and aimed his cannons at them.

"MAG-MORTAR!" He yelled before releasing a huge Flamethrower for him cannons and hitting the Magby and Magmar. Twilight looked on in horror.

"What is he doing, he's hurting-" "Calm down Twi, just watch." Ash said putting a hand on her shoulder. Twilight looked at Ash as if he had gone crazy.

"But-" "Shhh, look." Ash said cutting her off. Twilight sighed in defeat and looked at the Magmortar who she thought was burning his family alive, but what she saw next very much surprised and perplexed her. Magmortar stopped his attack and the flames around his family vanished. After a few seconds, both the Magby and the Magmar opened their eyes and jumped to their feet. Twilight's eyes were wide.

"How!"? She asked.

"The Magby Line can survive on very intense heat, Magmortar used Flamethrower on them just to replenish their energy." Ash explained.

"Mar...Magmar?" The Magmar asked.

"Mortar Mag Magmortar." The Magmortar said pointing at the two trainers.

"What are they saying?" Twilight asked tilting her head.

"I think Magmortar's explaining the situation to the other two." Ash said with a small smile. Magmortar continued to explain, Magmar understood the reason behind their actions but the Magby wasn't having it.

"BY MAGBY MAG!" Magby yelled as he pointed directly at Marill. Marill just looked down and frowned. Twilight saw this and began to walk up the the Magby Line.

"Twilight?" Ash said reaching out to her.

"Trust me." Was all Twilight said. Ash nodded and cradled Pikachu in his arms.

Twilight stopped and crouched down to the Magby who got into a defensive position.

"Don't worry no one's going to hurt you." Twilight said with a reassuring smile. Magby didn't let his guard down and glared at the girl.

"Look I know you're still mad and you have every right to be. I was in such a hurry to catch my first pokemon, I didn't think about your feelings. I'm...new at this. I just saw you and thought that all I had to do was catch you and that would be that. But I understand that that's not how this works. I need to prove that I'm somepon….I mean someone who deserves you, not someone who's just strong enough or tough enough to catch you. All I can say is...I'm sorry. I hope you can understand and forgive me but...I know that's a long shot. I've made it a habit of messing stuff up recently." Twilight said looked down a bit. Ash, Marill and the Magby Line all just stared at the young pony turned girl with shocked looks on their faces.

"Wow, she really did take friendship lessons." Ash said to himself.

"Pika...Pika." Ash looked down to see Pikachu stirring in his sleep.

"Oh man, Twilight we have to get Pikachu to a Pokemon Center." Ash said. Twilight and Marill both looked to see that Ash was right, Pikachu needed medical attention.

" _Pikachu."_ Marill said in a worried tone.

"You're right." She then turned back to the Magby.

"Again I'm really sorry, I have to go, our friend needs help." Twilight said before standing up and walking over to Ash.

"Let's go, Oldale Town is just up ahead." Twilight said, double checking her Pokedex just to be sure. Ash nodded and with that the two trainers ran off to Oldale Town. The Magby line watched as they left and the Magby had a sad look on it's face.

 _Timeskip, Location: Outside of Oldale town_

"How close are we?" Ash asked. Twilight took out her Pokedex and looked at the map.

"We're almost there, we just need to go over this hill." She said. Ash nodded and looked down to Pikachu.

" _Don't worry buddy, we'll get you fixed up in no time."_ Ash thought to himself. Marill couldn't take her eyes off Pikachu in his weakened state.

" _First the kidnapping, then the whole too much electricity thing and now this, Pikachu's been suffering ever since he got here."_ Marill thought as a tear fell down her face. Twilight felt the tear on her hand and looked to Marill.

"Hey don't worry, Pikachu's going to be just fine." She said with a small smile. It didn't help, Marill still felt responsible for Pikachu's condition.

"Hey Twi, check it out." Twilight looked ahead to a bunch old rock formations on top of the hill. The two stopped and looked around a bit.

"What are these?" Twilight asked.

"Marill?" Marill said tilting her head.

"I'm not sure, but they look like ruins." Ash said.

"You're right, these are the Oldale Ruins." Ash and Twilight turned to as a man with spiky brown hair walk up to them.

"The Oldale Ruins?" Twilight repeated.

"That's right, Oh where are my manners. My name is Professor Alden and I've been investigating these ruins for a while now." The man said with a slight bow.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Ash and this newbie next to me is Twilight." Ash said with a smirk.

"Watch it buster. It's nice to meet you sir." Twilight said with a tic mark on her head.

"Likewise, so why are both is such a hurry?" Alden asked.

"Oh right, we have to get Pikachu to a Center." Twilight said spastically. Alden raised an eyebrow and looked to Pikachu who looked burnt and hurt.

"Oh my, that does not look good, follow the path that way and the center is right at the end." Alden explained.

"Thank you, come on Twi." Ash said as he began running. Twilight nodded and followed.

 _Location: Oldale Town Pokemon Center_

The doors to Pokemon center opened automatically as Twilight and Ash, partners in hand, came running in. As Ash ran for the counter, Twilight couldn't help but looking back and admiring the door moving all by itself, interested by the technological prowess this world seemed to possess. Marill, confused about her trainer's confusion, looked up at her quickly before returning her attention forward at Ash and Pikachu. Ash had arrived at the desk as a lady with pink hair in a nurse's outfit turned to Ash, smiling as she waved at a trainer carrying away their now healthy Linoone. She took one look at the burnt up Pikachu in front of her and that smile became one of worry.

"Oh my." she gasped.

"Pikachu was hit by three Flamethrowers. He needs immediate medical attention." Ash said frantically. The nurse immediately gained a look of determination and took the Pikachu into her arms.

"Of course. I'll make sure Pikachu feels better in no time. Chansy, over here, we need to get this Pikachu to the intensive care unit." From behind a swinging door, a pink, egg-shaped pokemon came through wearing the same nurse hat as the pink-haired lady.

"Chan-Chansey". Pikachu was set on a padded stretcher and wheeled away by Chansey as Twilight and Marill walked up to the counter. Marill could do nothing but watch as the Pokemon that saved her was whisked away unconsciously.

" _Please be ok."_ Marill said to herself before covering her eyes and crying. Twilight gave the blue mouse a hug.

"It's ok, Marill." She said comforting the partner.

"Ash has told me a lot about Pikachu. He's been through worse than this I imagine." Twilight said, trying to make her partner feel better. However, despite Twilight's cheery exterior, she still was worried for Pikachu. Twilight didn't see what happened, but all of those burn marks told the whole story in painstaking detail. Marill, while glad Twilight was trying to cheer her up, she couldn't stop thinking about Pikachu. It was all her fault he was hurt anyway

" _Why didn't I just move? If I just moved out of the way and didn't stand there like an idiot Pikachu would be…"_ Marill felt terrible. For attacking the Magby, letting Pikachu get hurt, everything. She just felt guilty, and that guilt stuck with her all the way through the forest. She needed to tell Pikachu she was sorry. It was the least she could do.

As they were sitting at a table at the cafe, waiting for Ash to return from the cafe's counter, Twilight couldn't help but think about all that's happened since she spoke to Arceus and came to this place. As Marill was staring off into space, she lifted up her hands, still foreign and new to her, despite the practice. "

 _This is all so weird. I'm glad I met Ash but...even still. I wonder how everypony is doing back home."_ She thought to herself. But she went from a look of contemplation to rage. " _Who cares about them. If they don't want me there, then I'll just stay here where I'm actually appreciated"_

"Hey, are you okay? You look like you got something on your mind."

"What, I uh…" Twilight sputtered as Ash surprised her holding two drinks and a bowl of Pokemon food. As he put down the brown cup with a white lid on it on the table, Twilight still flustered, stared at it.

"Uh, this is…"

"Frappachino, thought we could both use a treat." he answered prematurely, setting the bowl of Pokemon food next to Marill on the floor.

"Isn't it like, 5:30?" Twilight said, keeping eye contact with Ash as he took his seat across from her.

"Eh, so what." he said, shoulders shrugged.

"So, what's on your mind?" Ash asked, seeing the stress on Twi's face.

"It's nothing, really" Twilight said, unconvincingly. Ash wasn't buying and pushed the subject.

"Come on Twi, you don't have to hold anything back from me. If we're going to be traveling together we need to be honest with one another and that means one telling the other if something's wrong." He said in a tone of concern. Twilight listened to Ash's words, which sounded an awful lot like something one of her friends would say, making her feel even more homesick than she already was.

"I'm sorry Ash, I just...Ever since I came here you've been nothing but nice, and I'm honestly glad I met you. It's just...I just can't stop thinking about my friends."

"You mean the ones back where you came from?" Ash asked, still an entirely foreign concept to him.

"Yeah, I mean, I just left them. They don't know where I am or what I'm doing. All they know is why I left, and even though I'm still mad at them, it just feels wrong leaving them with that feeling of guilt. I know something was off about Cadence and I just wanted to help, but instead, they all turn their back on me. My brother, my teacher, my friends, even my faithful assistant. I just…" tears started to form in her eyes.

"Did I make the right choice?" She asked, not really to Ash, but more of a general question to herself. Ash saw Twilight was about to break down, so he did what any supportive friend would do, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. Twilight was startled by this at first, but before she could get a word out Ash pulled back, looked her in the eyes, and spoke up.

"Listen, whether you made the right choice or not is entirely up to you. I can't even imagine what you're feeling right now and I doubt I ever will, but know that if you ever need to talk or cry, just know you got someone who will listen and offer a shoulder." Ash said.

Twilight didn't know what to say. She has been studying friendship for two years at this point, but this has been the kindest, most sincere thing anyone had ever said to her. She didn't know what it was, but there was something about Ash that made it impossible for her to not believe him. His voice just seemed so sincere,and she could tell he meant what he was saying.

"Ash I...Thank you. Thank you so much. I...I *sob* that means a lot to me." Almost starting to let her tears get the better of her, Twilight smiled at Ash, thankful that she had met someone able to make her feel better at a time like this, when his own friend was in danger none of the less.

"Wow, Marill, aren't you glad we met someone as nice as Ash?" Twilight said, looking down below her where Marill's bowl of food should be. And the bowl was there. Just the bowl. Marill, however, was nowhere to be found.

"Marill? Marill!" Twilight called, looking all over the cafe. They both stood up at the same time and turned to each other, their eyes filled with worry.

 _Location: Pokemon Center Intensive treatment_

" _Where is it? Where is it?"_ walking down the hallway.

" _I know he has to be through one of these doors."_ She had managed to sneak away from Twilight and Ash during their little heart to heart. She listened to Twilight's problem and thought about stepping in, but once she saw Ash hug her, she knew he had it covered, and rushed to find Pikachu

" _Vibrava, Numel, Teddiursa, Pikachu, Wooper, Lombr- Wait, Pikachu!"_ She exclaimed, peeking through the doors and listing the Pokemon residing in each room. Finding, and initially skipping his room, she waddled in and made her way to the side of the bed. She jumped and climbed up the large bed until she stood on the comfy red blankets and gazed sorrowfully at the Pokemon underneath them. Pikachu was still asleep, body still burnt and bruised, and his head turned. His mouth was covered by a respirator, and he was connected to an IV via his arm. In short, he didn't look good. Seeing him like this once again, Marill's eyes watered up, and tears began to flow from her eyes. She couldn't take her eyes off him.

" _I-I'm sorry Pikachu. I know you can't hear me but...but I want you to know that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have chased that Magby, I should've moved out of the way, I should've been the one to be hit. I...I just wanted to impress you. You're so strong and brave and courageous and I wanted to show you that I could be that way to. But instead all I did was get you hurt. I'll do everything and anything I can to make it up to you, I promise. But you probably never want to talk to me again, let alone travel with me._ Marill's eyes were flooding at this point. She tried closing them to block the flow but they kept streaming from her face. But it was a raspy, familiar voice that pried her eyes open again.

" _Hey, I thought I told you to stop talking like that."_

" _H-huh?"_

Pikachu turned to Marill, eyes opening, although he was straining to do so. He managed to shake the respirator off his mouth, feeling he could breath and speak just fine. Marill was in shock, not immediately caring Pikachu had heard her lament. She was just happy he was awake.

" _You...listen and you listen good Blue, I'm not perfect….I never was. I understand why you look up to me, but I wasn't always like this."_ Pikachu said in a serious yet sad tone. While his words may have seemed harsh, Marill could tell he did it out of concern rather than anger

" _When I met, and even before I met Ash, I was nothing more than a jerk. I was arrogant, cocky and selfish, I always thought I didn't need anyone else but myself. Then I met Ash and he took me on as his first pokemon." Pikachu smiled at bit remembering his first day with Ash, but he quickly frowned. "I shocked him without any hesitation, I didn't want a trainer, I didn't want some goofy kid holding me back, but one thing I learned about Ash that day was that he_ _ **never**_ _gave up."_ He said with a slight cough afterward. Marill couldn't believe her ears, there was no way the Pikachu she had traveled with up to this point could act like that.

" _We soon began our adventure and I hated every moment of it. Me and Ash would argue a lot too and I would shock him just to get a laugh and to piss him off. Man, looking back on it now I still wonder why Ash put up with me_." Pikachu said scratching the back of his head. Marill still didn't know how to reply to Pikachu. This was a whole new side to him Marill hadn't seen before.

" _That's not who you are now though."_ Marill said with newly dry eyes.

" _Hm?"_ Pikachu mumbled, side glancing at Marill.

" _I don't care what you were like then. I care how strong and kind and brave you are now. So stop with your self loathing. Would that Pikachu have taken three Flamethrowers for me? No! So you messed up in the past, I don't care. It's about what you do_ -"

" _To make up for it_?" Pikachu asked, eyebrow raised. Marill stopped her rant and looked at Pikachu with wide eyes.

" _How did-" "Because I learned that lesson a long time ago. You see Ash and I were attacked by a flock of Spearow and Ash did everything in his power to make sure I was safe. The flock caught up to us though and they injured me pretty bad, so Ash stood up and shielded me. I saw something in Ash that day, I saw someone who would go to the ends of the earth and back for me and I, in good conscience, couldn't let him get hurt. So, I got up, jumped into the air and I put all my power in one Thunderbolt. I scared them off with that display, but Ash and I were injured. We were facing each other and Ash just gave me a goofy smile and said 'Well, we beat'em.' He then carried me to the nearest center where I started to do some thinking. Even though I treated him so badly, he cared enough to save my life and I'll be forever grateful to him for that. That's when I made up my mind, I was going to help Ash become a Pokemon Master no matter who I battle, I'll give it 110%."_ Pikachu said as he strained to put a fist in the air.

Marill, who was listening very intently, widened her eyes as she listened to Pikachu, hearing a very familiar story.

" _When I made that promise, I wanted to make up for everything I had done to Ash. I wanted him to trust me more than he did and Ash saw what I was doing guess what her said?"_ Pikachu asked. Marill leaned in wanting to know. " _He said stop being someone you're not. He told me that I don't have to change who I am for anyone other than myself. At first, I was shocked by the fact that a 10 year old gave me some wise words, but then I realized that he was right. I was changing myself for the wrong reason. I didn't need to change for him I needed to change for myself, if I hadn't I would never have had made such good friends over the years. Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, Bayleef, all of them. And I'm happy they're apart of my life. I'm happy you're in my life to Marill, so take your own advice and stop doubting yourself, you are only as strong as you allow yourself to be. Push against your past and move forward."_ Pikachu said with a smile. A strained smile, but a smile all the same.

Marill's eyes were wider than ever. Pikachu was right. Marill spent all this worrying about how to make it up to Pikachu, how weak she was, and how she could make it up to him. Of course she still felt bad for hurting him, obviously, but she realised how narrow minded she really was. She didn't need to get strong for Pikachu, she needed to get strong for herself. She was blinded by her admiration, just as Pikachu was blinded by his stubbornness. However, even after hearing about Pikachu's rough history and learning this lesson, she couldn't help but feel an even greater admiration for Pikachu. How he overcame all of it and became so kind and strong. Even though she wouldn't be proving herself to Pikachu like before, she was still determined to make it up to Pikachu on her own way. By giving everything 110% of her effort.

" _Thanks Pikachu. And just so you know, I think you're pretty great."_ Marill said, significantly more calm

" _Heh, well I'm glad I have my fans."_ Pikachu said sarcastically sharp. Marill just rolled her eyes and giggled.

"There you are." The two Mouse pokemon turned to see Ash, Twilight and Nurse Joy walking into the room.

"Pika..Pi." Pikachu said in a strained, yet joyful tone.

"Marill Mar." Marill said jumping into Twilight's arms.

"Mary, what are you doing in here, Pikachu needs to rest." Twilight said in a scolding tone. Marill just nodded and nuzzled Twilight. Twilight knew she couldn't stay mad at the blue mouse, so she just hugged her. Ash smiled and went over to Pikachu.

"Hey buddy, how ya feeling?" He asked his partner.

"Pika...Pika." Pikachu said with a small smile.

"I'm sorry you two, but Pikachu's treatment isn't over. I'm going to have to ask you both to leave for now." the nurse said in a soft tone.

"No problem Nurse Joy. I'll see you later pal." Ash said with a smile.

"Pika Pi." Pikachu said with a nod. Twilight and Ash, with Marill in hand proceeded to walk out and leave Pikachu to his treatment.

"So do you know her or something? I thought you were new here." Twilight asked.

"Call it an educated guess."

 _Location: Pokemon Center Cafeteria_

"Eating time!" Ash declared at he dove into his place of curry.

"You always eat like that?" Twilight asked with a slight giggle.

"Yeah, sorry." Ash replied with a sheepish smile.

"It's fine." Twilight said before taking a bite of her salad.

"Just a salad?" Ash asked.

"Yes, why?" Twilight asked.

"I thought you would get the curry, it's really good and the meat is….oh." Ash said remembering Twilight was a pony. Twilight gave him a deadpanned stare and turned her head away from him.

"Aww, Twi come on, I'm sorry, I forgot." Ash said trying to apologize.

"Hmpf." Was all Twilight said before taking another bit of her salad.

"Twilight, don't be like that." Ash said. Twilight then turned back around and glared at him.

"How could you POSSIBLY forget something like that!" Twilight seethed. Ash flinched and noticed that there were some people staring at them.

"Uh-Oh, that guy's in the dog house now." A trainer behind them said.

"I wonder what he forgot." another trainer said.

"It better not have been her birthday or their anniversary or else he's really in for it." a third trainer chimed in. Ash began to sweat after hearing all of the gossip.

"Look, I'm sorry I forgot, but making a scene isn't-" Ash quickly put a hand over his mouth, but the damage was done.

"WHY I OUGHTA-" Before Twilight could say another word, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Whoa there little lady, I don't think should be fighting with your friend here." Twilight turned to see Alden with a smile on his face.

"Oh hey Alden…..Thank you." Ash said as he whispered the last two words. Alden gave him a thumbs up and spoke up.

"I'm glad you both made it her safely. How is your Pikachu holding up?" "Pikachu is doing fine, thanks for asking. He's being treated right now but they say he'll be better tomorrow morning."

"That's great to hear! Mind if I join you two for dinner? As long as I'm not interrupting anything that is." Both Ash and Twilight looked at each other and nodded turned back to Alden.

"I don't see why not." Ash said with a smile.

"Take a seat." Twilight added.

"Thanks, so tell me you two what brought you to this small town?" Alden asked.

"Well we were actually going to register to the Hoenn League…..which we still haven't done yet." Ash said palming his face.

"Aww you're right we were so caught up in other things we forgot." Twilight said pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Hey, don't look so down, I bet Nurse Joy would be happy to register you both once she's done with the Pokemon she's taking care of." Alden said with a reassuring smile.

"I guess you're right. So you told us you were investigating the Oldale Ruin,Why?" Twilight asked.

"Well you see, it's said that in the Oldale Ruins, is an old stone chamber, and according to an old legend, it's a bridge or portal between our world and the Ancient Pokemon world." Alden explained.

"Wow." Twilight said with intense interest, being a big fan of any kind of ancient history.

"That's sounds pretty cool." Ash said. Alden nodded and continued.

"But because of it's strange construction, any attempts to enter the chamber would cause it to crumble so it's contents remain unknown." He said.

"When you say Ancient Pokemon, do you mean like Kabutops and Aerodactyl?" Ash asked.

"Nope, I mean Pokemon that have been living since ancient times without changing at all." Alden explained. Twilight and Ash looked at Alden with amaze and wonder.

"There are actually Pokemon that have lived that long?" Twilight asked.

"I'd like to believe so, I want to know about how these Pokemon lived and where they lived. I've wanted to solve this mystery for a years now and each day I'm getting one step closer to solving it." Alden said with a smile.

"There are so much more to Pokemon than I thought." Twilight said with stars in her eyes.

"You always get like this when you learn something new?" Ash asked with a smirk. "So what if I do?" Twilight said glaring at the boy. Alden chuckled.

"Have you both been traveling long?" He asked.

"No, we actually started our journey together yesterday." Ash said.

"Really now! From the way you two argue is looked like you've been together for months, maybe longer." He said. Ash and Twilight looked at one another before sharing a laugh.

"I guess you're right." Ash said.

"Yeah, we really shouldn't be arguing like this." Twilight said before turning turning to Ash.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Why are you apologizing, I'm the one that made you mad. I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut." Ash said scratching the back of his head.

"It's alright, don't worry." Twilight said with a smile.

"There we go, Nice to see you two getting along." Alden said. The group shared a laugh and Ash spoke up.

"Ancient Pokemon, I'd love to meet one someday." Ash said.

"Well you might get your chance." Alden said reaching into his bag and pulling out a small stone tablet.

"What's that?" Twilight asked.

"It's an old text I discovered during the research. I translated it last week, it says that there is only one way to open the stone chamber without it collapsing in on itself. I need to find four special keys, what kind of keys they are, where I can find them, what they look like, that, I don't know. But I'm gonna find them, no matter how far I have to go to get them." Alden says, eyes shining with hope.

"Wow, this means a lot to you, doesn't it Alden?" Twilight asked, seeing his determination.

"Heh, I guess you could say that." Alden said with a chuckle. They all shared one more smile before a sound rung out throughout the Pokemon Center.

 ***Ding-Dong-Ding***

They all turned toward the chiming electronic clock and looked at the time. "Wow it's late!" Ash said, surprised by how fast time flew.

"Huh, seems it's pretty late." Alden began.

"Well, I have an early morning tomorrow. So sorry but I'm gonna go get some sleep." He finished with a quick yawn.

"No, it's fine. We're probably gonna get some sleep to. It's a miracle we're still awake in the first place." Ash said, standing up from his chair to stretch his arms and legs.

"It's been a long day for us, isn't that right Marill." Twilight said, not getting out of her seat just yet, but turning to face Alden who was already gathering his things. "Mar-marill" Marill said with a sigh.

"Hehe, well I guess we're all calling it a night. In that case, I wish you all good dreams. Maybe I'll see you before I head back out to the ruins tomorrow."

"Maybe. Good night." Ash said turning toward the direction of the inn as Twilight stood up with Marill in hand and joined him, saying her goodbyes as well.

"Ancient Pokemon, This world is just filled with mystery." She said with a smile.

"I know, it's amazing." Ash said.

"Mar." Marill said with a nod. Ash was about to say something, but he quickly remembered something.

"Oh crap, we need to register!" He said frantically. Twilight eyes widened and she grabbed Ash's hand.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's get going." Twilight said pulling Ash to the front desk.

"Hey, don't pull my arm off." Ash said. The two made their way to the front desk where Nurse joy was about to close up for the night.

"Wait Nurse Joy." The nurse turned to the two trainers, one awkwardly gripping onto the other's hand.

"Oh, you two. It's good to see you again. If you are here to ask about Pikachu, he's been recovering just fine." She said with a smile.

"Thanks Nurse Joy, I really appreciate it but that's not why we're here." Ash said.

"Yes, we're here to enter the Hoenn League ma'am." Twilight said.

"Oh of course, I just need both of your Pokedexes." Nurse Joy said. Ash and Twilight pulled out there Dexes and handed them to Nurse Joy. The kind nurse put their Dexes under a sort of scanner and pressed a yellow button.

"Ok Ash Ketchum From Pallet Town in Kanto and Twilight Sparkle from Undella Town in Unova. Is that right?"

"That's right." "Correct." they both confirmed.

"Alright, you two are all set." Nurse Joy said handing their Dexes back.

"Thank you Nurse Joy." Ash and Twilight said with a bow.

"No problem, you both have a good night." Nurse Joy said before walking into the back.

"Well since that's done I guess we should-" Before Ash could finish the power in the Center went off.

"What the, What happened?" Ash asked looking around. Marill jumped out of Twilights arms and looked around as well.

"Marill Mar." She said.

"What the...why did the lights go out?" Twilight asked, obviously confused.

"It's probably just a blown fuse. It could be a blackout though." Ash explained. Twilight, however, was obviously lost.

"What! You don't have electricity where you come from?!" Ash asked, surprised about this development.

"We have electricity, it's just rarely used and underdeveloped. We haven't really figured out how to use electricity for...anything really. All our machines are run by steam, coal, wind, solar energy, and mainly, magic. But you don't have magic here so…" Twilight explained.

"Yeah, you're gonna have to explain this whole magic thing to me sometime, but right now we-"

 **AAAAAHHHHHHH!**

Twilight and Ash jumped when they heard the scream. "Was that Nurse Joy?" Twilight asked in a worried and frightened tone. Ash ignored the question and ran in the direction of the scream.

"Ash wait, come on Marill." Twilight said following Ash. Marill nodded and followed as well. The trio made their way down the hall of the center and found an open storage room.

"Come on." Ash said. Twilight nodded and picked Marill up.

"Just so you don't wander off. " She said. Marill nodded, pouting a little. The trio walked in and saw Nurse Joy tied up and gagged.

"Oh my gosh." Twilight said, placing her still new hands over her mouth. She and Ash walked over to the Nurse and untied her.

"Nurse Joy, wake up." Ash said, shaking her.

"Twilight go and get help, I'll stay with her." Ash said.

"Right." Twilight said before running out, but as she did someone was watching her.

"One's getting away sir." The mysterious figure said talking into a headset.

" _It's fine, trap the nurse and the boy."_ the voice from the headset said.

"Consider it done" The figure then ran up to the storage room and pulled a small device from his pocket.

With Ash

Ash was still tending to Nurse Joy, but soon heard footsteps. "Is that Twilight?" He asked himself, wondering why anyone else would be up this late. But just as Nurse Joy was waking up, a man stepped around the corner, not the person Ash expected to see.

"H-huh? You're…" Nurse Joy stuttered as she came to. But they both turned to the man standing in the doorway. His face was almost unseeable, as his hood cast a shadow over it. Combined with the already masking darkness, his face was shrouded in mystery. Said hood was red, with horns coming from the top. The rest of his ensemble was the same red shade. An "M" was marked on the center of the man's shirt, and he was wearing dark, black pants that blended in with the darkness. What was most noticeable, however, was a strange blinking device in his left hand.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" The man said, his voice suggesting he was a man in his late 20's.

"Who are you?" Ash asked, sensing something was off about the strangely dressed man.

"That's of no concern to you. What you should be worrying about is the predicament you're in now." He said with surprising casualness.

"And what do you mean by that?" Ash asked, standing up, getting ready for what he thought was about to happen.

"Man, you ask a lot of questions." He said, taking a step back and began to close the doors.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing! Ash yelled running at the double door the man was currently shutting.

"Ugh, Houndoom! Roar!" As Ash began to get close to the door, the man called over his Pokemon, and from the right, a large, dog-like Pokemon jumped in, wearing gold armor on its back and a helmet on it's head. The Pokemon had black fur and a long snout. It had bone-like extrusions all over its body, almost like its spine was outside its body. And once it was clearly in sight, it opened its mouth and let out a loud screech, creating a visible wave of sound that pushed Ash back all the way to the back wall, which was tens of feet away. Ash made contact with the wall with a powerful thud as he slid down it slumped over.

He struggled to pick his head up as he watched the man smile as he shut the doors. Once closed, he placed the device in his hand where the two doors met. With a satisfying click, it stuck to the wall. Ash picked himself and ran toward the door, Nurse Joy just sat there, dumbstruck. Ash began pounding on the door, his fists getting red as he hit the metal doors repeatedly.

"Open...the...door!" Ash yelled, his voice strained as he used all his energy with the attack on the door. On the other side, the man ignored the child's futile escape attempts and turned to a woman and a man wearing a very similar get up. She had a man with her, his arms tied and mouth gagged. If either Ash or Twilight had seen said man, they would have recognized him immediately as Alden.

"Target acquired" the woman said.

"Good, we can proceed as planned. All the trainers here are asleep and the only awake one is locked in their with the center's nurse. One trainer got away, but it won't be a problem. She just signed up for the Hoenn League so she is one of those newbie trainers." He explained smugly.

"Good, as long as she doesn't intervene. Let's get this guy to the ruins. We need him to get into the shrine." the other male hooded figure said.

"Right, Houndoom, come back." He pulled a pokeball out of his pocket and aimed it at the Dark Pokemon. With a small sound, a red beam came from the center of the ball and enveloped the Houndoom, returning him back to his ball. Ash could hear muffled sounds through the door, but he couldn't make anything out of it.

"I can't understand what they're saying. Nurse Joy do you know who those people are?" Ash asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't, but I know they're the one's who caused this black ou….Oh no the Pokemon!" Nurse Joy said in a panic.

"What are you talking about?" Ask asked.

"All the pokemon being treated in the center! Without the power of all of our healing equipment, the Pokemon's conditions will only get worse, especially those in intensive treatment." Nurse Joy explained. As she explained, the color drained from Ash's face.

"Pikachu….I HAVE TO GO!" Ash said before charging the door again.

"Ash, stop it's no use." Nurse Joy said trying to calm the boy down. Ash slammed into the door only to stagger back a bit.

"Dammit...Twilight hurry." Ash said to himself.

 _With Twilight_

Twilight and Marill ran through the Center to find find help, but no one was around. "Darn it, No one's here. Come on Marill let's get back to Ash." Twilight said.

"Mar." Marill said with a nod. The two walked back to the storage room but stopped when they heard footsteps. Twilight slowly looked around the corner and saw a tied up Alden and a bunch of people wearing red and black dragging him.

" _Oh no._ " Twilight thought as she quickly ran into a single restroom and slowly closed the door.

"Team B is waiting at the ruins, everything is ready." Twilight listened from behind the door, petrified.

"Good, let's move." After that was said, Twilight heard them running away from the door. She the took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

" *sigh* Gone, good. Let's hurry Marill." Twilight said before her and her partner ran back to Ash and Nurse Joy. Upon Arriving, Twilight found the storage door closed.

"What the- Ash, Nurse Joy are you still in there?" She said banging on the door. Hearing her, Ash and Nurse Joy both ran up to the door.

"Twilight, thank Arceus. Can you open the door?" Ash Asked on the other side. Twilight grabbed the door and pulled as hard as she could but the door didn't budge.

"It's no go, I can't open it. There's...some kind of machine on it" She said.

"Twilight, listen to me, you have to turn on the reserve power in the back of the center. All the Pokemon, including Pikachu, might not survive unless the machines they're hooked up to are running" Nurse Joy said. Twilight began to sweat, the pressure getting to her. She barely understood how a light switch worked. Restoring power to an entire building felt dealing with alien magic, which was almost what it was.

"Um...I...I-" "She can't Nurse Joy, Twilight's not familiar with technology here." Ash said covering for her.

"Huh, what do you mean by that? It isn't rocket science. Anyone who has ever used electricity before could do it."

"..."

"..." Both Twilight and Ash had nothing to say to that, as Nurse Joy had said everything they needed to. The nurse widened her eyes and bit her lip.

"Then what do we do?" Nurse Joy asked in a panic.

"Those hooded guys took Alden. They tied him up and took him away." Twilight stated, fearfulness building as she spoke.

"...I have an idea, but neither of you are going to like it."Ash said.

"What is it?" The Nurse asked with tempered expectation.

"Twilight, you have to go and save Professor Alden. Those guys have to have a key to this device. You need to get the key from them, come back and open the door. Then Nurse Joy can turn the power back on." Nurse Joy and Twilight (If she could) looked at Ash as if he were crazy.

"Ash, I don't...I don't think I can…" Twilight stuttered, eyes widened from uncertainty.

"Ash that's insane. From what I saw on her trainer info, she's just starting out as a trainer. She can't handle something like this. Those were actual criminals. We don't know what they can do" Nurse Joy explained.

"Do we have any other option?" Ash asked. Nurse Joy began to think.

"I mean...none of the trainers staying here have healthy Pokemon other than Twilight." Nurse Joy started.

"I-I guess you're right, but…" Twilight gulped. She looked down at her partner, who was already looking up at her, eyes filled with determination.

"Mar-Marill" she said with a nod.

" _This is something I need to do. I need to make it up Pikachu...in my own way."_ Twilight could feel Marill's determined stare sink its way into her soul, filling her with some of her own willpower

"Ok...I'll try." Twilight said with uncertainty in her voice.

"Did they say where they were going?" Ash asked.

"Y-yeah, to the ruins. They said some people were waiting there." Twilight said, still frightful. Ash heard this and put his hand in the door.

"Twilight, you got this. Don't be scared, I have faith in you." He said in a soft tone. Twilight looked at the door for a few seconds and put her hand on the door as well. Twilight didn't know why but she could feel another hand against hers, it was like the door wasn't there and her and Ash's hands were connected. She smiled and pulled her hand off the door.

"Thanks Ash, I'll be back. Mariil, let's go!" Twilight said with determination in her voice. "Marill Mar!" Marill said with a nod. With that Twilight and ran back down the hall and headed for the Center exit.

"Ash do you really think she can do this?" Nurse Joy said.

"You bet I do. She's got this Nurse Joy." Ash said with a smile.

"If you say so." The Nurse said. Ash nodded and looked to the door.

" _Be Careful Twi."_

 _With Twilight_

Twilight and Marill ran to the front of the Center and stopped at the front door. Twilight looked to Marill. "Are we ready for this?" Twilight asked, clearly concerned about what might happen.

"I-I just got here two days ago and now the lives of all those Pokemon...The life of Pikachu…" Twilight began, obviously starting to panic.

"Are in my...hands." She finished, having to look down at what she was using to carrying her partner to remember.

" _I've barely have gotten used to walking on two legs and using...these, and now I have to fight criminals. How am I supposed to…"_ Twilight thought to herself as her expression got more and more panicked. It continued until a blast of water was shot into Twilight's face. It succeeded in breaking her concentration. As the stream of water finishing assaulting her. She looked down angrily at Marill with her face soaking wet.

"What was that for!?" Twilight scolded Marill.

"Mar-Mar Marill Mar!" Marill said, obviously upset at Twilight.

" _Worrying isn't going to help Pikachu and the other Pokemon. We need to get going, now!"_ Marill pointed out. Somehow, Twilight knew exactly was Marill was trying to tell her. " _I know you're new here. I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but I get it. Its all new to you. But I can tell you're a strong person. Wherever you came from, I know you were just as brave there as you are now. So stop worrying and let's do this!"_ Marill continued, using her stubby little arms to help explain her point. Twilight, while not literally understanding what she was saying, knew what she was trying to convey. Her angry face, turned intrigued face, now became a friendly smile directed toward her partner.

"You're right Marill, now's not the time to worry. C'mon! We got some Pokemon to save!" Twilight said, standing up, beginning to run through the town and toward toward the ruins.

 _Location: Oldale Ruins_

The three strange hooded people in red dragged the professor to the Oldale Ruins, still tied up and gagged. Once in front of the ruins, they placed Alden on the ground and looked around for something.

"Team B?" One of the men said.

"Over here." The men turn to see a woman with short purple hair, purple eyes and a very creepy smile walking around the side of the ruins with three other people, garbed in the same robes.

"Admin Courtney, we didn't know you were-" "I know you didn't, I just came to make sure the mission was going well and from what I can see….You did a good job." The woman known as Courtney said in a sadistic tone. Alden flinched at what she said and began to sweat. Courtney walked up to Alden and removed the cloth covering his mouth.

From behind some rocks a few yards away, Twilight and Marill silently approached. Once hidden, they peeked their heads over their cover, Marill having to stand on a smaller rock behind the larger one. Twilight saw six people in hoods, the darkness masking their faces like before, although some features were now visible. However, her attention was mainly held by two other things. First were the black and red dog-like creatures scattered among the grunts. The Houndoom were looking around, looking out for intruders, causing Twilight to instinctively lower her head a little. One of them caught her attention in particular, as it was coated in gold armor.

"That's the one we saw back at the Pokemon center." Twilight said to herself very quietly. The other thing she was paying attention to was the lady standing in front of a tied up Alden. Twilight immediately identified her as the leader of this group of ruffians.

"What is she doing with Alden." Twi asked herself just as quietly as before.

Alden, mouth now freed, still didn't say a word, only looking up at the smiling lady with a mixture of fear, anger, and confusion. "Aw don't worry little man, I won't hurt you….unless you don't do want we say." Courtney said with a giggle.

"..." Alden continued his silence, not wanting to talk with his captors.

"Oh don't give me the silent treatment puddin. I just want some cooperation, that's all" Courtney asked with a troubled tone in her voice.

"Just what do you want from me?" Alden finally asked with both anger and fear in his voice.

"Oh calm down, don't be so dramatic. We just need your help getting into that stone chamber over there." Courtney said pointing behind Alden. Alden looked to to see the stone chamber and frowned.

"I can't, If you try to force your way in, the chamber will collapse." He said. Courtney smiled at the professor and pulled out the stone tablet Alden found and had in his possession earlier. Alden had to do a double take, wondering how she had managed to get that into her hands

"But you yourself said the only way to open the stone chamber is written on this tablet correct?" She asked. Alden realised they must have been eavesdropping on his conversation with Twilight and Ash. He growled and looked away.

"That maybe true, but I also need the four keys, but..." He began to explain.

"Oh yes, of course." Courtney then snaps her fingers.

"The key's please." She said in a sweet tone. One of the grunts walked over with a small black box, he then opened it to reveal a four small shining orbs one red, one green, one blue and one yellow. Alden looked at the keys and then to Courtney with shock.

"How...how-" Alden stuttered, eyes once again fixated on the orbs.

"We have friends in high places professor." Courtney then pulled out a knife, causing Alden to flinch. She began to slowly walk toward him with a sadistic smile, making Alden even more disturbed.

"Now if you don't mind Professor." She pulled the professor close and swiftly…..cut the ropes off.

"Open the stone chamber, pretty please." She said with puppy dog eyes. Alden massaged his wrists, red from being tied up tightly and looked at the woman in confusion, he didn't know if this girl was plain insane or plain adorable.

"I won't... I can't." He said quietly, not sure what these people would do once inside. Courtney's sweet puppy dog face quickly turned into a dark scowl.

" **Well, then I guess you don't care about those poor people and Pokemon at the Pokemon Center! With the power shut down, those pokemon in intensive care won't survive the night! You want to be the guy who killed a bunch of innocent pokemon for some rocks moron?! Not only that-** " Courtney without any warning spun behind Alden frighteningly quick and put the knife to his neck. "I'm holding a knife to your neck." She giggled in her sweet yet sadistic tone.

Twilight, who was still watching from afar, put a hand to her mouth to muffle her gasp. Her eyes widened and expression turned fearful as she saw Courtney place the blade on Alden's neck.

"Sh-she's insane" Twilight, barely able to speak from shock, said to herself. She had seen evil before, but this was something else, something...different.

"Mar-Marill" Marill also quietly spoke. Alden and even most of the grunts were getting very creeped out by the Admin's…..unique personality.

"F….fi...fine." Alden said in defeat, face pale from the sharp steel held firmly on his throat. Courtney smiled and removed the knife from his neck.

"Good boy." Courtney said patting him on the head. The grunt holding the box handed the keys to Alden. "Now go on and open it or I'm going to be dissecting my first Professor." Courtney said in a sweet tone. Alden glared at the girl and faced the door of the chamber. He then proceeded to insert the four keys into the door in the positions he had deciphered from the tablet. And once he did that the chamber began the shake and the door began to open.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Brilliant, just Brilliant! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Courtney laughed sadistically.

Twilight, with a sigh of relief due to Alden's temporary safety, continued to watch behind her rock. But as she watched, she remembered why she was in these ruins in the first place.

" _These guys clearly want whatever is in those ruins. I don't know what it is, or why they need it. All I know is that they are dangerous. And if I want to save Ash and all the Pokemon...I need to stop them."_ Twilight thought to herself, trying to think of a plan as she readied herself for a battle. " _How I'm going to do it, that is beyond me"_ she thought reluctantly. " _This is way above my skill set."_

"Marill Marill Mar" Marill said, quiet enough to not draw attention from the grunts. Twi turned to her partner and saw her ready expression

" _Don't doubt yourself. We've got this."_ She said, remembering what Pikachu had told her. Even though Twilight couldn't understand what she meant exactly, the message was received loud and clear.

"You're right. I believe in us. I believe in you, Marill. I know we can do this." Twilight said with renewed determination.

"Hopefully." she added with an anxious smile on her face, still having that "what if" mindset she's always had.

As the doors to the ruins fully opened, the grunts walked toward the ancient structure and readied themselves. Alden stepped back, only to be met with handcuffs locked around his arms. Feeling the cold metal on his still sore wrists, he turned to see a smiling Courtney.

"Well done Professor. That wasn't half bad. I knew you wouldn't let me down". She said with a bubbly voice and equally innocent tone. "Unfortunately, we've got nothing left for you to do I'm afraid, so it looks like we don't need you anymore. Boo-hoo." She said now with a devilish grin.

"What are yo-" Alden began with a confused look. But before he could finish, Courtney rolled her eyes and quickly spun him around and swiftly kneed him in the gut. Alden let out an 'oompf' and dropped to the ground curled up in pain as Courtney immediately began walking toward the ruin's doors, her grunts following behind.

"Sorry about that puddin, but we can't have you runnin away now can we. You just stay there like a good little boy or you won't have any legs to run away with, understand, gooooood." she explained to a groaning Alden.

"Wait." he was able to speak out. Courtney stopped without turning around, signifying that she was listening.

"What...about the Pokemon in the...in the center. They won't last without the...power."

Courtney still didn't turn around. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up.

"I don't remember saying anything about helping those Pokemon. If they die, they die. No big deal."

"You...you monster!" Alden strained to yell, air not properly flowing through his lungs.

Courtney turned her head slightly so Alden could hear her better.

"Just sit still so I don't have to mutilate you. No one's coming for you and I'm not in the mood to clean up your blood. This monster has a job to do."

Twilight heard the entire conversation and was utterly disgusted by the woman's words and her actions.

"Ok this woman is making me both scared and mad." She said quietly.

"Mar Mar!" Marill said. "Alright, time to go, ready?" Twilight asked her partner.

"Mar!" Marill said with a nod. Twilight nodded back and picked Marill up. " _Time for action."_ She thought before running off.

"Alright boys let's-" "Hold it!" Courtney raised an eyebrow and turned around to see Twilight and Marill running up.

"Oh, we have a few sleepwalkers." Courtney said with a smile. Marill jumped out of Twilight's arms and got into a fighting position.

"I don't know what you're up to, but I'm not letting you get away with this." Twilight said, her voice only slightly shaky.

"Oh, isn't that just the cutest thing. Unfortunately, the grown ups are busy right now." While she carried on with her jovial retort, the Houndoom began growling in Twilight's direction.

"I'm not letting you endanger those Pokemon." she continued with a weaker tone, intimidated by the snarling Pokemon .Courtney raised her eyebrow yet again, confused about Twilight's ramblings.

"What are you talking about kid? You clearly know about your little power problem. Go back to the center and flip a few switches if you're so concerned and stay outta my ruins." Courtney replied.

"I...That's…" Twilight had nothing to say. There's no way she could figure how to bring the power back. Electricity and machinery were mostly beyond her. Courtney just stared at Twilight's visible trepidation and smirked.

"Heh, you're an odd one Lavender. I like you; you're weird. So I think I'll leave you a little present." She smirked and turned to three of her grunts. "Boys…" she began before turning back to Twilight with a malicious grin. "Rip her to shreds." she ordered before quickly turning around and walking into the ruins with her three other grunts.

"Houndoom, get ready." One of the grunts said. The Houndoom growled and walked closer. Twilight began to sweat, but she didn't lose her resolve.

"Ok Marill, Ready?" She asked. "Marill!" Marill said.

"Enough talk little girl, Houndoom, use Shadow Ball!" All three grunts commanded. All three Houndooms opened their mouths and a large black and purple ball was formed. The three balls got even larger and were soon heading for Marill.

"Marill, Use Rollout the dodge and use Water Gun on the one on the left." Twilight commanded.

Marill curled up into a ball and began rolling at high speeds to avoid the Shadow Balls. She then stopped on the side of the Houndoom on the left and fired a Water Gun. The Houndoom was pushed into the middle one, but the third one jumped out of the way just in time. The other two Houndoom were sent flying into one of the stone statues. One, however, still possessed the strength the get back up while the other laid on the ground, unconscious, much to his master's dismay.

"Argh! Son of a…" The owner of the standing Houndoom then commanded his Pokemon further. "Houndoom, get up and use Flamethrower!" The Houndoom set his sights on his target and unleashed a current of flames from his mouth. Twilight readied herself and cried out her orders.

"Marill, Water Gun!" "Mar-Marill!" Marill cried as she unleashed her own attack at the Flamethrower. The two moves collided, the streams not giving an inch. Both trainers had unsure looks on their faces as they hoped their attack would win out. Twilight, however, saw a pile of rocks that were stacked up on the Houndoom's left side. She immediately developed a plan in her head and pointed toward the rocks.

"Marill jump out the way and use Water Gun on those rocks!"

"Huh?" the grunt said, baffled by her strategy. Marill, however, saw the rocks with a quick glance and without hesitation, executed the plan.

"Marillllll!" she cried as she jumped to the side, the Flamethrower barely missing her, and aimed her Water Gun at the base of the pile. With the satisfying crash of water with the rocks, they shook violently before tipping over. The Houndoom barely had time to cease his attack and look up at the rocks before they came crashing down on him. A large dust cloud formed at the point of impact, and when it cleared, it revealed an unconscious Houndoom surrounded by heaps of rubble. Twilight looked really shocked by what just happened.

Courtney, with a swing in her step, walked down the ancient steps, torches lining the walls. Three grunts were behind her shining flashlights down the stairs, adding extra light to the dark catacombs.

"Spooky, isn't it boys." she said with a giggle. The grunts behind her just turned to each other and shrugged. Courtney kept her head straight and eyes forward, unwavering. She had her sights set, and her quirky attitude had become something more focused, her smile still positioned firmly on her face, however. Finally, the flashlights revealed their destination. A flat floor, cracked from time's onslaught, was illuminated by the grunt's directed light.

"About time." Courtney said to no one in particular, continuing to walk down the stairs. Once she reached the room, she was met with a decently sized room with a pool of water in the middle. The walls were covered with ancient imagery. The artwork looked like it was peeling of the walls, however still clearly showing its ancient messages.

The few torches scattering across the room, mysteriously still lit after all this time, weren't enough to allow a full viewing of the prehistoric art display unfortunately. So, as Courtney stepped into the room, the three grunts all came running from behind her and began scouring the room. Courtney only paid some attention to her grunts. She was mostly just looking around the dark room, taking it all in.

"Hehehe, his perfect world is finally within our reach." Courtney said to herself, a grin plastered on her face as she looked around. She turned toward one of her grunts who was currently examining one of the images with plastic gloves on. With one hand on the wall and the other holding the flashlight, he didn't even notice as Courtney walked up behind him and gazed at the image he was lighting up. The image displayed what appeared to be people and Pokemon gathered around a large red beast.

" _This,_ _ **This**_ _is Master's dream. His perfect world. And I would do anything to make that dream, that world, a reality. The key to that, is this Pokemon. The Ancient Pokemon…"_

" _Groudon"_

"Holy Luna, that actually worked." She said with glee, excited her plan was a success.

"Marill." Marill said with a smile.

"Thunder Fang!" One of the Grunts said. Twilight heard this and she paled. Her jubilation came crashing down and crumbled around her as she immediately remembered the type chart she memorized at the lab's library. The Houndoom in golden armor pounced onto Marill and bit down on it's ear causing her to be engulfed by electricity.

"MARILL!" Marill yelled in pain.

"MARILL, BUBBLEBEAM!" Twilight yelled. Marill slowly opened her eyes and fired a flurry of bubbles into the Houndoom's face causing to let go of Marill's ear. Marill staggered a bit, but stayed up.

"You ok Mary?" Twilight asked, concerned considering how vicious that attack was.. Marill nodded and gave Twilight a small smile.

"Good, now let's finish this." Twilight said. One of the grunts growled and turned to his comrade, still battling Twilight.

"Is this that girl you said got away!" he asked, clearly angry at him.

"You said she wouldn't be a problem!"

"Tell Courtney we might need to pull out soon, this girl seem to actually know what she's doing." the other said. The previous grunt, begrudgingly, nodded and returned his fallen Houndoom to its pokeball. Once that was done, he ran inside the ruins, leaving the last grunt with Twilight, since the other one was preoccupied with some sort of communicator, his Houndoom already back in it's ball.

"You got guts little girl, I'll give you that. But that will only get you so far against me. Houndoom use Fire Spin!" The grunt Commanded. The Houndoom fired a spiral of flames from his mouth that soon surrounded Marill and trapped her.

"Oh no." Twilight said in slight panic. Marill did her best to shield herself from the flames, but they were too intense even if she was a water type the damage was piling up.

"Nice job Houndoom." The Grunt said with a smirk. The Houndoom howled and smirked as well. Twilight glared at the two and gritted her teeth.

"I have to get Marill out of there, but ho- Wait….I think I've got something Marill use Rollout and Water gun while you're spinning!" Twilight commanded unsure hope filling her eyes.. Marill opened her eyes and used every bit of strength she had to curl into a ball and roll in the same direction the vortex was spinning. She wasn't entirely sure where Twilight was going with this, but she decided to put all her trust into Twilight. It was rough due to the extreme heat, but once she gained enough momentum she released her Water Gun. Once she did, the water went in random directions hitting the wall of flames and extinguishing them.

"What!?" The grunt said in shock. After a few seconds, the wall of flame was completely gone and Marill was still Rolling.

"Let's end this, Marill, Rollout!" Twilight commanded with a smile on her face. Marill quickly changed directions and headed straight for the Houndoom and full speed.

"Oh no you don't, Shadow Ball!" The grunt ordered. The Houndoom Opened his mouth and fired three black and purple balls at Marill. Twilight smirked.

"Marill one more time, use Water Gun!" She commanded. Marill knew what Twilight was thinking and she soon fired Water Gun which once again went in random directions. The three Shadow Balls kept closing in on Marill, but just before any of the hit her they were destroyed by a random flurry of water and caused small explosions. The grunt, thinking he succeeded, smiled triumphantly. "Ha, Well I guess that's that." He said. Twilight smiled as well. "Yup it's over...for you that is." She said with passion, finally understanding the appeal to battling.. If it wasn't so dark Twilight would have seen the confused looked on the grunts face, which was soon replaced with shock when he a blue ball rolling out of the explosion.

"What...it can't-"

"It can, Go Marill!" Twilight yelled.. Marill grew closer and closer to Houndoom before slamming into him and knowing him down a few feet away. The grunt looked at his Houndoom unable to battle and he frowned.

"Damn." He muttered before returning Houndoom to his Pokeball. Marill quickly went back to Twilight and jumped into her arms.

"Marill Mar." Marill said nuzzling her trainer.

"You were amazing Mary." Twilight said hugging her.

"I can't believe I lost to a newbie trainer." The grunt said.

"It's your fault for getting cocky." The grunt turned around to see Courtney walking out of the ruins with the rest of the grunts.

"I'm...I'm sorry ma'am." The grunt said in a scared tone.

"It's fine, no big deal." She then turned to Twilight.

"You on the other hand are a big deal." Courtney said with a interested grin. Marill jumped out of Twilight's arms and got ready to fight again, even though it was clearly exhausted.

"Oh calm down little mouse, our work here is done." Courtney said before looking at the grunt that lost his battle to Twilight.

"Give me the remote to the lock." She ordered.

"Um, yes ma'am." The grunt said handing her the remote.

"Thank you. Hey Lavender, catch." Courtney said casually tossing the remote to Twilight. Twilight struggled a bit but she caught the remote but succeeded after having it bounce around in her hands.. The grunt looked at her as if she was crazy…..well crazier.

"Admin Courtney, why-" "Because I felt like it, you got a problem with it?" Courtney said with a cold stare. All the grunts flinched and shook their heads.

"Good. Now sweetie, press the yellow button on the left. It will open the door that your friend and the nurse are trapped in, that sounds like a fair reward for beating these scatterbrains, right? " She said in a sweet tone. Twilight couldn't tell if she was lying or not, she didn't trust her, but she really had no choice.

" _If this will free Ash and Nurse Joy, then they can save the Pokemon at the center. … I've got no other choice but believing in her."_ she mentally processed. She then looked at the remote and pressed the yellow button.

 _With Ash_

Ash and Nurse Joy sat on the floor waiting for Twilight to return.

"It's been over 30 minutes, you think she's ok?" Nurse joy asked, clearly concerned about her.

"She's fine, I know she is." Ash said with a small smile, brimming with confidence. Nurse Joy then looked up to Ash.

"Tell me, how long have you and Twilight known each other?" She asked.

"We actually just met a few days ago." Ash answered. Nurse Joy's eyes widened.

"Really, you talk to each as if you've been friends for years." She said.

"Really?" He asked. The Nurse nodded.

"That's the second time I've heard that today. I guess we're just give off that impression." Ash said shrugging his shoulders.

"Tell me this then, why have so much faith in her if you just met her?" Nurse Joy asked, honestly interested in Ash's thought process. She couldn't lie, it was a little concerning Ash but their lives and the lives of the Pokemon in a person he just met.. Ash looked down and shrugged his shoulders again.

"I'm not sure really. People say I've always been too trusting all my life and I won't deny that I am. Twilight….she saved my Pikachu the first day we met. When I wasn't around she protected him for me and I'm grateful for that. You see Nurse Joy...I can't explain too much, but Twilight has gone through a lot and always come through it. Like I said I can't explain it, but I know she will come through." Ash said with a smile. Nurse Joy kept staring at Ash, she saw how much faith he had in his friend and she smiled back at him.

"You're a strange one Ash." She said. "I've been told." He replied with a chuckle. Before the Nurse could say anything more to the boy, The door to the storage room opened.

"Sweet Arceus, she did it." Nurse Joy said getting up, genuinely surprised, yet still thankful. Ash got up as well and walked out of the storage room with Nurse Joy.

"Nice job Twi." Ash said to himself.

"Ash hurry we have to turn the power back on." Nurse Joy said.

"Right." With that Ash and Nurse Joy headed to the Center's generator room.

 _With Twilight_

Twilight pressed the button and looked back at Courtney. She stood there grinning without a care in the world, and that bothered Twilight.

"Why?" She asked.

"Why what?" Courtney replied.

"Why did you give me the remote, you could have just left without doing this." Twilight explained.

"Are you complaining Lavender?" Courtney asked with a fake look of confusion.

"No, it just...doesn't make any sense." Twilight said. Courtney giggled a bit.

"What's the fun in making sense." She said with a smile. Twilight's eyes widened upon her remark.

" _Now I'm really convinced she either related to or friends with Discord."_ Twilight thought.

"Oh Lavender look." Courtney said pointing behind Twilight with a confusing tone of joy. Twilight hesitated at first, but she turned to see the light's in the center back on.

"Oh thank Luna." Twilight said to herself.

"Well Lavender it's been real. Pull out Men!" Courtney ordered.

"Yes Ma'am!" They answered as the all ran off.

"Wait, Courtney was it?" Twilight asked. As the last Grunt left, Courtney turned to Twilight and smiled.

"Yes Lavender, you need something else?" She asked in her sweet tone.

"Just...tell me, who you people are and why you're doing this." Twilight asked softly, too tired and confused to raise her voice.. Courtney put a hand on her cheek for a few seconds in thought, before shaking her head.

"Nah, not today Lavender, but something tells me we'll be seeing each other again someday." Courtney then pulled a small black ball from out of her pocket.

"So until then, You have a good night." She said with a wave before throwing the ball on the ground. Once she did the ball emitted a thick layer of black smoke.

"Agh, Marill come back!" Twilight said. Marill did as she was told and jumped back into Twilight's arm. Twilight then hid behind a tree until the smoke cleared.

"Marill, you ok?" Twilight asked her partner. Marill looked up to Twilight and nodded. She looked back to see the smoke had cleared. She didn't know what kind of gas that was. It seemed like a stunt Trixie would have pulled, except this time, the person performing the trick actually disappeared.

"Good, come on we have to get Professor Alden." Twilight said running to the stone chamber. They soon saw the professor lying up against a wall still unconscious, hands cuffed behind his back and groaning in pain.

"Professor Alden." Twilight said running up to him.

"Are you ok?" Twilight asked shaking him a bit. Alden groaned and slowly opened his eyes.

"Ugh...T..Twilight?" He asked.

"Yes it's me, can you stand?" Twilight asked. Alden nodded a bit and pushed himself up.

"Where are those people?" He asked, needing Twilight too hold him up.

"Gone but-"

 **Beep...Beep...Beep**

"What is that noise?" Twilight asked, looking around her for the source.

"It sounds like...it's coming from...the ruins." Alden answered slowly. After giving each other a brief glance, they turned to look down the ruins. Twilight, Alden, and Marill turned to see a bunch of barrels and a countdown timer placed on the steps going down to the cave. A quick look at the timer showing the timer only had five seconds left on it. Alden's face paled.

"What are-" "Run….RUN!" Alden yelled. Twilight, taken aback by Alden's scream, instinctively ran away from the old structure. Twilight and Alden ran as fast as they could and didn't look back. The timer then reached zero and the barrels began to glow red. And in second, multiple massive explosions went off and Twilight and Alden jumped away just in time. The pair turned around to see the Oldale Ruins completely destroyed. Silence from the three of them ensued, speechless about the events that just transpired. Finally Alden spoke up.

"Sweet, merciful Arceus...Twilight are you ok?" Alden asked, now thoroughly awake. "..." Twilight couldn't respond, she was too mesmerized by the destruction she had witnessed.

"T-Twilight?" Alden asked again, concerned. Wha...yes...yes I'm alright. But that was...intense." Twilight said, still staring at the blast zone was, for lack of a better description, blown away by the destructive capabilities this world possessed.

"Yeah. I just can't believe the ruins are destroyed. Those bastards" Alden said in a sad, angry tone.

 **beep...beep...beep**

Another quieter beep began to ring throughout their ears, causing Alden, Twi, and Marill to immediately tense up again

"I-is the gonna be another explosion?" Twilight asked frantically while her face grew unhealthily pale. Alden tried to locate the source of the beeping, and all he could see was a small metal remote lying on the ground.

"That remote, I think the beeping is coming from that." Alden said, pointing at the tiny device.

"The...remote?" Twilight asked, face paler, eyes widened.

"Stand back, if history repeats itself, that remote will probably…"

 **Bam**

"...explode" Alden warned Twilight, holding out the arm to keep her back. The explosion was small, but still loud and bright. Twilight screamed for a moment, her breathing now heavy, scared that another massive explosion would occur. She then remembered her train of thought from before the remote's explosion. Turning back to where the remote way laying mere seconds ago, all that was left was a layer of ash and dust. Twilight couldn't help but stare endlessly, eyes widened at where the remote was, putting two and two together surprisingly quickly.

"Well that was anti-climatic." Alden began with a slight, almost concerning chuckle, commenting on the explosion's size.

"I think it's safe to assume that remote was the bomb's detonator." he continued, looking at the remotes current state, although with much less intensity than Twilight.

"I wonder who set it off. Probably one of those hooded guys or that Courtney girl. Perhaps-" "It was me." Twilight said with almost no emotion other than disbelief, an odd tone considering how certain of an answer it was.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Alden asked.

"I...I pressed that button on the remote, it was me!" She replied louder, turning to Alden with tears in her eyes. Alden looked back with shock.

"But...how could it be you?" he asked quizzically.

"That girl...Courtney...she gave me that remote. She told me it would open the door Ash and Nurse Joy were in and at first I thought she had a change of heart. But now...now I understand she just wanted to mess with me. And now these ruins, this ancient history, is destroyed because of me." Twilight said, her tone bouncing from angry to sad to confused and back to sad again. Alden just looked at Twi, who had turned away with tears still in her eyes. He then donned a new look of determination and put a hand on Twi's shoulder.

"Twilight this isn't your fault. Courtney tricked me into opening the door as well. She's a crafty, deceitful person. You have no experience with criminals like these." Alden said, trying to comfort her. But Twilight kept her head held low. On one hand, Alden was right. This world is so new to her and all this and technology and organized criminals were things she would dream/have nightmares about.

But Twilight did have experience helping ponies. Whether it was Nightmare Moon or Discord, she always knew how to handle, or at least had a rational mind about situations. And even though she couldn't give her villain stopping resume to Alden for multiple reasons, that didn't matter. What mattered was she prided herself on her rational thinking and problem solving skills, and now because of her lack of said skills, this important piece of this world's history has been completely destroyed, and she couldn't help but remember another, recent time she made a similar mistake.

"This is just like the wedding." she cried to herself. "How *sniff* could I be so stupid to push a button a criminal gave to me." she continued to lament. "Why do I keep messing everything up?" she asked, now continuing her sadness with light sobs, Aldin's hand still resting comfortingly on her shoulder. Aldin looked down and then back to Twilight.

"Listen Twilight, I don't know anything about a wedding or any of your past mistakes. And yes, maybe pushing that button was a rash decision. But think what might have happened if you didn't come. Who knows what those goons would've done to me if you didn't show up. No matter what, once they set those charges, they would've gone off. If you didn't press it, they would've. So please don't cry, it's unbefitting of a strong trainer like yourself. You came to my rescue when no one else could. That's pretty brave for a new trainer such as yourself." He said with a smirk at the end. Twilight looked up, tears still falling from her eyes. She saw how much Alden was trying to comfort her. And as much as she wanted to feel sorry for herself, she couldn't deny it was working.

"Thank you Alden. I-I promise to make this up to you somehow." she replied, hoping she would be able to fulfill that promise.

"You already have." he answered, not demanding any more payment than her saving his life.

"Still, I'm sorry, I know you put a lot of work into discovering the secret of these ruins." Twilight said.

"Mar Mar." Marill said looking down. Alden took a deep breath and smiled at Twilight.

"Oh well, the end of one project just means I can start a new one. I'm not letting something like this stop my research on Ancient Pokemon." He said. Twilight smiled back at him.

"Nice to know you haven't lost your resolve professor." She said wiping a tear from her eye.

"Marill Mar." Marill said smiling as well.

"Come on let's get back to the Center." Alden said. Twilight nodded and the pair began walking back to the Center.

 _With Ash_

Ash kept pacing back and forth in the center lobby waiting for Twilight.

"Come on Twi, where are you?" He said to himself. He kept wondering why she was taking so long. the power was back on and the pokemon are safe.

"Still no sign of her?" Ash looked behind him and saw Nurse Joy walking over to him. His face was filled with visible uncertainty.

"No and I'm getting worried." He said, still pacing around the front lobby.

"Don't worry Ash, she'll be back." Nurse Joy said putting a hand on the boys shoulder with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, you're right." Ash sighed, trying to calm down. How are Pikachu and the others doing?" Ash asked, trying to get his mind off what danger Twilight and Marill might be in..

"He and the other Pokemon are doing just fine, we got the power back on just in time." The Nurse explained. Ash sighed in relief and smiled.

"Thank goodness, I thought-" Just as Ash was about to finish his sentence, The door to the Center opened to reveal Twilight, Marill and Alden. Ash and Joy both smiled.

"Welcome back you three." Nurse Joy said.

"Good to be back Nurse Joy." Alden said. Ash then walked up to Twilight.

"I knew you could do it." He said ruffling her hair. Twilight giggled and pushed his hand away.

"Was there ever any doubt?" She said in a mocking tone. Ash could obviously see she had been panicking the whole time, giving her cheap "everything went fine" smile and the sweat pouring from her forehead. He also noticed her read eyes, a clear sign she had been crying. Something he would be sure to question about later. Ash then looked to Marill.

"You don't have to worry about Pikachu, he'll be A-OK." Ash said with a smile. Marill smiled back and she sighed.

" _Thank goodness. You'll be just fine Pikachu."_ Marill thought. Nurse Joy and Alden then walked over to the two teenagers.

"I think you both deserve a good night sleep after tonight." Nurse Joy said.

"Especially Twilight and Marill, you both worked really hard." Alden continued, giving Twilight a wink..

"Thank you, Professor." Twilight said with a slight bow.

"It's no problem. Hopefully we'll meet again someday. Good luck with the Hoenn League." And with a wave, Alden headed for his room for the night.

"Well, shall we go?" Ash asked holding out his arm after waving goodnight to Alden

"We shall." Twilight said hooking her arm around his.

"Good night Nurse Joy." Twilight and Ash said.

"Good night to you both and I hope to see both tomorrow." Nurse joy sad with a slight bow. Ash and Twilight walked off to their room and Nurse Joy smiled at them both.

" _They say they just met and yet they have such a strong bond."_ Nurse Joy thought, heading behind the counter to finally close up for the night.

 _With Twilight and Ash, Location: Center bedroom._

Twilight was sitting on her bed reading a book about Pokemon Mythology. She always found a good history book would calm her nerves after life-threatening peril. She had lived a pretty active life since moving to Ponyville too, so she had made sure to stock an extra amount of history books in her library. This book however, she found at a gift shop in the center. Seeing as how ancient history and mythology are, or now was a big tourist attraction for Oldale Town, they made sure to have plenty of merchandise to capitalize on said tourism. Of course, seeing as how Twilight just arrived in this world, Ash was kind enough to pay for it.

"The legends of the Hoenn region. The emperor of the sea Kyogre and the emperor of the land Groudon. Amazing!" She thought to herself. She then looked to her side to see Marill sleeping peacefully.

"You earned the rest Mary." Twilight said softly, very impressed by her performance that night..

"She sleeping?" Ash asked coming out of the bathroom.

"Yea she's knocked out." Twilight replied looking at Marill, giving her back a rub.

"That's good." Ash said, wishing his own partner was there.

"I imagine she put up one heck of a fight." Twilight looked up at Ash and gave him a warm smile.

"Well I think she had something to fight for." Twilight replied, her voice matching her exhaustiveness.

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Ash questioned. Twi just scowled at Ash.

"Oh come on! You'd have to be blind to not see that Marill is trying to impress Pikachu!" Twi replied, shouting slightly. She immediately covered her mouth and looked back to make sure she didn't wake Marill up. Ash just looked at Twilight with wide eyes.

"*sigh* I may not be the most socially adept and observant, but I can see that Marill just wants to make an impression on Pikachu. And whether that be for her sake or his, I certainly have no complaints." she explained, looking back at her exhausted partner.

"Huh." Ash replied.

"I guess I'm not that good at picking up on stuff like that, huh?" he continued while scratching the back of his head.

"I guess not." Twi replied with another smirk.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Ash asked. Twilight just giggled and laid down.

"Nothing Ash." She said. Ash just shrugged his shoulder and went to his bed on the other side of the room. "Well today was pretty eventful huh?" Twilight asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Let's see: Battling the 'Magby Line' and fighting a bunch of insane criminals, yea it's been one crazy day. I'm just shocked Team Rocket didn't make an appearance...not that I'm complaining mind you" Ash replied. Twilight giggled and yawned. "Yeah, those guys are...odd."

They both shared a laugh and suddenly the room was silent, other than Marill's quiet breathing. Ash then turned to Twilight once again.

"You did amazing today Twi." he began. "What you did was one of the bravest things I've ever seen anyone do." Twilight just blushed, not sure what to say.

"Well...I couldn't just let those Pokemon, let Pikachu…" she replied, not wanting brag about her achievement. She hadn't even told Ash about the bomb at this point, and how it was her fault it went off.

"Heh, I know you couldn't" he said with a yawn. Twilight yawned along with him.

"Alright, i'm going to sleep." She said.

"Me too, you have a good night, alright?" Ash said.

"You too." Twilight said before closing her eyes. Ash watched the girl drift of sleep and he smiled.

"You did great Twi." he said again quietly before falling asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

_Narrator: With the threat of a strange criminal organization finally over, Twilight, Marill and Ash wait for the release of a certain yellow friend of their and no one was more excited than Marill._

The sound of tapping feet echoed through the Pokemon Center lobby as Ash paced back and forth while Twilight kept tapping her left foot against the floor while holding Marill.

"Shouldn't be much longer now." Ash said as he, Twilight and Marill were waiting for Pikachu in the Center Lobby. Twilight nodded and looked down to Marill who still had bags under her eyes, yet still smiling.

"Well someone's happy." She said with a knowing smile. Marill blushed a bit and glared at her trainer.

"Marill MAR!" Marill said before firing a Water Gun attack into Twilight's face.

"UGH...Stop it!" Twilight said trying to shield herself from the water.

It had taken her over half an hour to get her hair back to presentable quality that morning, since she wasn't exactly familiar with doing her hair in this new body, mainly due to the lack of her magic. She wasn't excited about repeating that experience to quickly. Ash watched the two in amusement. It reminded him of his first few days as a trainer with Pikachu. They teased each other to no end, which usually ended with an electrical shock. Of course, thinking of Pikachu added a heavy weight to his heart, but he kept up his smile.

"You two are meant for each other, you know that." Ash said with a chuckle. Marill and Twilight turned and saw Ash laughing, before then looking back at each other with a scowl.

"Marill, you mind shutting him up." Twilight said with a newly formed smirk. Marill smirked as well and turned to Ash who soon stopped laughing and put his hands up defensively.

"Now now let's not do something we'll-" Before Ash could finish Marill fired her Water Gun at Ash, causing him to fall to the ground. "Hey Stop it!" Ash said trying to get up.

Twilight began to laugh at her friend's expense, something that she immediately realised was a little out a character for her. She was never one to laugh at someone's suffering like that, let alone be the instigator. She was the one who usually criticized others for doing that, Rainbow Dash immediately coming to mind. So why was she so...easy going now? She looked back at Ash, still trying to defend against the onslaught of water and realised something. It was Ash. She didn't know what it was, but being around Ash these last few days, going on this journey, it loosened her up. And while she briefly considered to stop laughing and help, she immediately realised that that wasn't a bad thing. She hadn't felt so free before. Being with Ash in this brand new world, it felt less and less like a chance to restart, and more and more like an escape. She continued to laugh.

"Not so funny now is it Ash?" Twilight said still laughing. Ash tried to counter but he was too focused on shielding himself from the water.

"Ok ok I'm sorry!" He said.

"Um excuse me." Twilight stopped laughing and looked over to see Nurse Joy walking over with Pikachu on her shoulder.

"What Is going on here?" Nurse Joy said in a stern tone. Twilight and Marill began to sweat.

" _The one time I lower my guard and have some fun…"_ "Um, well I uh.." Twilight tried to get the right words out, but nothing came out right. Ash then stood up and tried to dry himself off.

"They thought it'd be funny to get back at me for something. I probably deserved it anyway" He said. Nurse Joy raised an eyebrow then looked to Twilight for a few seconds before smiling.

"Nice to know you're keeping your friend in line." She said. Twilight looked confused for a second, but began to laugh at Nurse Joy's comment. Ash looked at the nurse in disbelief.

"Who's side are you on?" He said. Pikachu began laughing his tail off.

"Oh can it Pikac…..Oh crap Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed going over to his partner. Pikachu then jumped off of Nurse Joy's shoulder and into Ash's arms.

"Pika Pi." Pikachu said in a cheerful tone. Twilight and Marill walked up to Ash and Pikachu with smiles on their faces.

"Hey little guy, how are you feeling?" Twilight asked ruffling Pikachu's head.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said. Pikachu then looked to Marill who quickly looked away.

" _You don't have to look away from me you know_." Pikachu said. Marill looked back to see Pikachu staring at her and she blushed a bit.

" _I know_." She said quietly.

 _Pokemon Advanced_

Ash, Pikachu, Twilight and Marill all headed out of the Pokemon Center and made their way to Petalburg City.

"Let's stop by the Poke Mart before the leave town, we need to stock up on food and supplies just in case we don't make it to the next center tonight, it's a ways a way according to the map." Ash said.

"No problem, I wanna see what kind of medicine they have, in case something else happens ." Twilight said with a smile.

With that, The two made their way to the mart, and once they did a man with green hair, a red jacket and black pants walked out of another store staring at a small device he held in his hand left hand. Twilight, distracted by a group of Taillow flying overhead, continued to walk forward not looking where she was going and bumped into the large man, causing her to fall. He looked down at her, stopping for only a second.

"Watch it kid." The man said with a gruff before walking off, carry a large metal case in his other hand.

"Argh, why do I keep getting hurt today." Twilight observed, sitting up, a little dazed. Ash came running over to her side and kneeled down next to her."You ok Twi?" Ash asked.

"Pika pika?"

"Marill Mar."

Marill and Pikachu were worried as well, but Twilight quickly smiled.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Twilight said getting up, with Ash's assistance of course. Ash smiled back and turned to look at the man who was walking away.

"Hey, you better get back here and apologize!" He said angrily. The man didn't stop but he spoke up.

"Unless you want problems kid you'll keep that mouth of yours shut." He said as he disappeared in a crowd of people. Ash was about to run after the man, but Twilight grabbed his arm.

"It's fine Ash." She said.

"No, it's not. He-" "I know what he did, but like I said, it's ok." Twilight said. Ash really wanted to protest, but he knew through his time with Misty that arguing with a girl when she meant business would only end badly.

"Fine, but if anyone else does that-" "You won't do anything." Twilight said interrupting Ash again. Ash opened his mouth again, but shut it ,knowing he lost the argument.

"Ok I hear ya, I know when I'm beaten." Ash said with a small smile.

"Good, now let's get what we need and head to the next town." Twilight said walking ahead. Ash just watched Twilight walk away and he chuckled.

"Pony or not that girl is something else." Ash said before walking after Twilight. Marill and Pikachu followed their trainers with smiles on their faces.

" _It's nice to see those two getting along_." Pikachu said, with only a little sarcasm sprinkled in. Marill nodded.

" _I know what you mean, better than last night_. Twilight was about to ring his neck." Marill said with a chuckle. Pikachu raised an eyebrow at this.

" _What could Ash have done to make Twilight of all people that upset_?" he asked.

" _Ok get this_ …"

 _Timeskip_

Ash and Twilight emerged from the Mart with their backpacks filled with food, medicine, other supplies, as well as Pikachu laughing hysterically on Ash's shoulder.

" _Hahahha! He said...And she haha! Oh...oh my Arceus that is priceless_." Pikachu went on as Marill sat on Twi's shoulder and chuckled lightly.

Twilight looked over and grinned at Pikachu's laughter while Ash grimaced, having a good idea what Pikachu was finding so funny. Pikachu continued to laugh, slowing down as time went on, only to turn and look at Ash grimacing at him, making him immediately going back to laughing twice as hard as before.

" _HAHAHA! That is just too good! I cannot BELIEVE he said that_!" Pikachu continued. Ash just turned away from the laughing rodent and continued his scowl.

"Alright, we good to go?" Ash asked in an irritated tone. Twilight knew Ash was hating this and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Yup, let's head out." With that Twilight and Ash walked off while three familiar figures were watching them in a hot air balloon.

"Twerp and New Twerpette sighted." Meowth said looking through a pair of binoculars.

"Good time for us to pickpocket that Pikachu and that Marill." Jessie said. James and Meowth both gave their female partner a confused look.

"Wait, why the Marill?" James asked.

"Good question." Meowth said.

"I don't know what it is, but that Marill is special I can feel it and so is the new Twerpette." Jessie said looking at Twilight.

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"Like I said, I'm not sure but that new girl is strange." Jessie then turned to Meowth.

"Meowth you've spent some time with the newbie, what is she like?" She asked. Meowth thought back to when he first met Twilight.

"Well, for one, she says she had never seen a Pokemon before me and Pikachu." He said. James and Jessie looked at Meowth like he was crazy.

"Are you serious, she's never seen a Pokemon?" James asked.

"I know it's hard to believe, but I actually believe her. When we were walking out of the warehouse we found her in, she was walking on all fours halfway out before I said something." Meowth said. Now Jessie and James were confused.

"Now that is a bit strange." James said. Jessie thought the same and looked back at Twilight with her binoculars. Her eyes then caught sight of the purple crystal on Twilight's hat.

"Oh such a beautiful crystal, Meowth you know anything about that?" She asked with sparkles in her eyes.

"I see we're lowering ourselves to petty thievery now, huh?" Meowth asked with a turn and raised eyebrow.

"Oh can it and tell me about the twerpette's gem." She replied, shrugging off Meowth's statement.

"How should I know? I just asked her the basics like name, why she was in a-" "Name?" James asked curiously.

"Oh yeah, it was uh...Ti...Tia...To...hmmm"

"You couldn't even remember her name!" Both Jesse and James yelled, glaring at Meowth ferociously.

"Hold your beans, team! It was Twilight, jeez. Give a feline a chance to collect himself why don't'cha"

"Woooo-buffet!" Jessie took out Wobbuffet's pokeball and returned him.

"Twilight eh…" Jesse said looking down at the girl walking next to Ash.

"What are you hiding?" she asked herself before turning to James and Meowth.

"This girl is a mystery waiting to happen, and I want to solve her." Jessie said with a smile. James and Meowth looked at Jesse then at each other, James putting on a quizzical look while Meowth noticed his curiosity and face pawed.

"I'm a little curious myself." James began with his hand on his chin.

"Count me in." he said decisively, smiling as well.

"I guess I have no choice in the matter, huh?" With that Team rocket continued following Ash and Twilight.

 _With Twilight and Ash_

Ash and Twilight were now on Route 102 heading to the next Pokemon Center.

"We should be their in about two hours. Hopefully there are a few trainers out here." Ash said looking at a map on his Pokedex.

"You really want to battle don't you?" Twilight asked with a smile.

"Yea, I'm starting to think me and Pikachu are getting soft." Ash said. Pikachu nodded in agreement, but he looked down a bit.

" _Damn, he's right. I've technically been in the hospital twice and that's...that's just not good_." Pikachu thought to himself. Marill saw Pikachu deep in thought.

" _Hey, you ok_?" She asked the yellow mouse. Pikachu snapped out of his thoughts and looked to Marill.

" _Uh...yeah sorry, I'm alright_." Pikachu said with an unconvincing smile. Marill didn't buy that for one second.

" _Pikachu, don't lie to me_." Marill said in a stern tone. Pikachu knew from Ash's experiences with Misty that arguing with a girl when she meant buisness, whether human or Pokemon, was not going to end well.

" _Sorry,sorry it's just….Ash is right_." Pikachu said in a low tone. Before Marill could speak up again, Twilight beat her to the question she was about to ask.

"What do you mean by that Ash." Ash scratched the back of his head and he saw a shady tree for them to sit under.

"Come over here and I'll tell you. We need to take a break anyway"

Ash said walking over to the tree. Twilight and Marill looked at one another and followed Ash. The two then sat down under the tree with their partners between them.

"Ok look...the reason I say we're getting soft is that ever since we got here me and Pikachu have been pushed to the side alot." Ash said looking down. Twilight and Marill looked at the two in confusion while Pikachu looked away from the group.

"I mean...Pikachu has been hurt twice and I couldn't do anything about it. We had to rely on you and Marill and...we don't like to have to rely on others like that." Ash said. Pikachu nodded in agreement.

" _If there's one thing we hate, it's the feeling of being useless_." Pikachu explained solemnly. Marill and Twilight took that in for a minute and they somewhat understood. Twilight was used to dealing with her own stubborn friends, and while she couldn't be sure what Pikachu said, she had a pretty good idea he was agreeing with Ash.

" _I know it's hypocritical for me to say this after what I told you at the center, but I can't shake the feeling I'm letting you all down. It's stupid, I know, it's just an issue I have. This isn't me trying to make up for anything, I'm just...nevermind_." Pikachu turned and walked away from the group toward the forest. Ash turned to look at Pikachu.

"Where are you going?" Ash asked. Pikachu turned back unenthusiastically and replied.

"Pika Pi Pika" or in more understandable terms, " _Just going for a walk_."

Marill gave him a very telling eyebrow raise, this scenario feeling very familiar, yet mirrored. Pikachu rolled his eyes and looked at Marill.

" _Calm down, I'm not going far. I'll be back soon. Just gotta think something through_." With that Pikachu walked off. Twilight opened her mouth but Ash shook his head.

"I know Pikachu, he'll be alright." Ash said. Ash's words didn't help calm a certain blue mouse.

" _Alright Pikachu, my turn to talk some sense into you_." Marill thought as she ran after Pikachu. Twilight saw this and shook her head.

"Why do our Pokemon keep running into the woods?" She asked.

" _Well, where would you go if you wanted to be left alone_?" Ash asked. Twilight really wanted to give a response, but she really couldn't think of anything.

"Ok, good point." Twilight said in a defeated tone.

 _With Pikachu_

Pikachu walked around the forest for a good five minutes before climbing up a tree and sat on a branch, now crossing his arms.

" _I really need to get my act together, how am I going to be in the Hoenn League if I'm in the hospital all of the damn time_?" Pikachu thought to himself. He then stood up and used quick attack to jump from branch to branch.

" _Come on Pikachu, You can go faster than this_!" Pikachu thought as he pushed himself to his limit and jumped as far and as fast as he could.

"That's more like it, If I didn't know any better I'd say I just learned Extreme Speed." Pikachu said with a chuckle. Pikachu did nothing but focus on his speed and his jumps from tree to tree, he was gaining more momentum with each jump but he didn't care until…

 ** **CRACK!****

One of the branches underneath Pikachu gave way and he began falling to the ground at a rapid pace

" _Oh crap, this is going to hurt_." Pikachu said shutting his eyes. Just then a stream of water was aimed at Pikachu back causing him to be pushed back up into another tree and land on a stable branch.

" _What the-" "Are you ok_?" Pikachu looked down and saw Marill running over to the tree.

" _Marill….what did...how did you-" "I saw you take off with Quick Attack, so I used Rollout to keep up with you_." Marill said before using Water Gun to push herself up onto the tree. " _So tell me what's on your mind_." She said taking a seat next to Pikachu after nonchalantly rocketing onto the branch. Pikachu looked at the blue mouse for a minute before shrugging his shoulders and sitting down.

" _Like I said earlier I don't like how things are going right now. I really have gotten soft_." Pikachu said with a sigh.

" _I don't know what happened but I've been reduced to slapstick multiple times since I've arrived in Hoenn, and...I don't know...I just think I might be losing my edge_." He recollected how he's been rendered useless three times already. Marill just looked at Pikachu, head down, upset expression, she could tell it was bothering him, but she just kept staring at the electric mouse.

" _Are you serious_?"

 _"_ _Huh_?" Pikachu said, turning toward Marill after hearing the silent anger in her voice. She looked disappointed, yet still stern, like she was ready to give Pikachu the talk he needed.

" _Are you serious right now_?" She asked once again, this time a little louder.

" _Marill, what are y-"_ Pikachu began, only to be cut off by Marill.

" _After what you told me, After what you've done for me, you honestly think you're 'losing your edge'?"_ She stated sharply. Her eyes were not losing focus, staring right into Pikachu's as he just stood there speechless and motionless.

" _You have done remarkable things Pikachu! Things other Pokemon could only dream of! You've formed a bond with your trainer that, honestly, is beyond even my understanding. I spent my entire life in a warehouse, watching friend after friend be caught or befriended by trainers, and not once, have I seen a connection from first glance like you and As_ h." She continued, eyes getting a little misty.

" _Marill...I_ …" Pikachu had no words. Not even Ash had ever spoken to him like that. He couldn't really understand what he was feeling while listening to Marill speak, a Pokemon he's only known for a few days now.  
"A _bond like that is unbreakable, and with a bond like that, you don't need to worry about losing your edge_."

" _But Marill, how am I supposed to help Ash if I keep_ -" Pikachu replied sheepishly, which only grinded Marill's gears even further.

" _Oh my gosh, listen to yourself! You sound just like...me_." Marill stopped for a second, having a flash of realization while still maintaining eye contact with Pikachu. Pikachu, meanwhile, has a moment of his own.

" _Arceus, she's right...I was giving her the same advice yesterday, and now, a day later…"_ he thought to himself. Marill, shook her head and continued her boldfaced rant.

" _Listen, I can't believe I'm telling you this, but I know what it feels like to feel inadequate. I know that the bond you and Ash share requires equal effort on both sides, and I know you feel like you are letting him down. But even if you are hoping to improve and feeling bad about yourself for you and your bond with Ash, you need to realise you are being way too hard on yourself. Nothing that happened so far is your fault, and there was nothing anyone could do about any of it. Those goons in the blimp had some weird machine that affected you in weird ways. What were you supposed to do about that_?"

" _I...But_ …" Pikachu tried to argue that it was somehow on him, but he couldn't find the words to disagree with Marill on this.

" _And don't you dare act like what happened with the Magby was your fault! That was me being stupid and obsessive! You got hurt protecting me and my stupidity! It takes a strong Pokemon to be able to do what you did, and an even stronger one for surviving it_!" Marill added loudly, panting afterward from being out of breath.

Pikachu had no words. There was nothing he could even dream of saying. He could only sit there and stare at Marill while she took heavy breaths and stared right back.

" _M..marill..I_ …"

 ** **DEEEWWWW!****

Pikachu and Marill jumped as the heard a cry in the distance. " _Did you-" "Yeah I did, and it came from where we left Twilight and Ash_." Pikachu said before jumping off of the tree. Marill followed suit and the two began running back to their trainers.

" _You think they're ok_?" Marill asked in a worried tone.

" _Yes and I'm going make sure of it."_ Pikachu said before using Quick Attack and charging ahead.

" _Hey! Wait for me!"_ Marill said before curling up and using Rollout to catch up to Pikachu.

A

 _few minutes ago with Ash and Twilight..._

"You know you shouldn't be talking like that." Twilight said. Ash looked over to her and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I know it's only been a couple of days, but you're not acting like the Ash I met a few days ago, he wouldn't let this get him down." Twilight said. Ash's eyes widened a bit.

"Wha-" "I mean you think you're getting soft and that's just not good. What happened to the guy that did everything in his power to save his partner Where's the guy that comforted me when I felt homesick, where's the guy who's always ready for something new and exciting. From the few days I've spent with you, that's the kind of person I've seen you as. And this...this isn't him." Twilight said in a stern yet sad tone.

Ash stared at Twilight and realized she was right. Standing in front of him was a girl from another world who's just trying to make a new life for herself, and here she is, feeling sorry for him when he should be helping this girl adjust to her new surroundings. Ash then raised both of his hands and smacked both of his cheeks very hard. Twilight flinched a bit at the boy's sudden action and spoke up.

"Um….are you ok?" She asked. Ash shook his head a few times before smiling.

"Yea I'm fine, and thanks for the tough love." Ash said. Twilight raised an eyebrow, like she was ready to say something, but Ash spoke up before she did.

"I shouldn't be so hard on myself, and I should focus on what happens next not what happened before. I should also focus on helping you adjust to this world and your new life as a trainer." He said. Twilight stared at him for a few seconds before smiling.

"There's the Ash I know, Thank you." She said.

"Besides, you wouldn't last ten second on your own without me, newbie." Ash said with a small smirk. Twilight's smile drooped into a frown and she glared at him.

"You take that back you jerk!" She said.

"Why, it's true." Ash said with a chuckle.

This only fueled Twilight's anger even more and without warning she gave Ash a hard shove...but something unexpected happened. As soon as Twilight made contact with Ash, her Element of Harmony began to glow and Ash was soon pushed back about ten feet by a powerful shockwave.

"WHOA!" Ash said before crashing into a tree. Twilight looked at what she had done and was staring at her hands, shocked.

"What the...how….how did that happen?" She asked herself in a slightly scared tone. Ash opened his eyes and began rubbing his head.

"Ahhhh, that's smarts." He groaned in pain. Twilight quickly composed herself and ran over to Ash.

"Sweet Luna, Are you ok?" She asked kneeling down to him.

"Not really, to be honest." Ash said shaking his head. Twilight felt a twinge of guilt and lowered her head.

"Sorry." She said in a sad tone, not sure what to really say. Ash turned to Twilight and saw the sad look on her face. He then sighed and sat up, forcing a smile through the pain.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. More importantly, what the heck was that!" Ash said giving her a surprised look realising exactly what Twilight had done.

"I'm not sure, it just-" Twilight stopped mid-sentence and grabbed the six pointed star crystal on her hat almost instinctively, feeling the crystal in her hands and widened her eyes in realization.

"What's that?" Ash asked looking at the pink crystal. Twilight stayed silent for a few seconds before answering.

"Um…. remember when I told you about the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight asked.

"You mean those six jewels with the power to wipe out all evil, right?" Ash asked.

"That's right...and this is one of them." Twilight said. Ash's eyes widened and looked back at the pink crystal.

"Wait what now, why do you have it with you? And...How did you even use it? I thought you said something about how...the elements couldn't work unless all six of them were together." Ash said. Twilight opened her mouth, but closed it as she tried to understand this herself.

"Yes, I did. And that's what's confusing me." Twilight said, scratching her head. Ash was about to speak up, but before he could the two trainers heard a rustling sound in the bushes.

"What was that?" Ash asked before slowly getting up. Twilight did the same and put the Element of Magic back on her hat.

"I'm not sure." She said. The rustling got slightly louder as whatever was making it was getting closer.

"Maybe it's Marill and Pikachu." Twilight said.

"They would have said something by now if it were them." Ash said. The rustling was now close enough for them to pinpoint where it was coming from.

"Over there." Twilight said pointing to the left. Ash then put a hand in front of Twilight and he stepped forward.

"Hello?" Ash called out.

Just then, something came out of the bushes and slowly walked over to Ash and Twilight. It looked like a bipedal...rosebud? Its face was yellow, with small, slit-like eyes. It appeared to be wearing a purple bib, and had triangular, stubby yellow feet.

"What is that?" Ash asked curiously.

"I don't know, but it's so cute." Twilight gushed, a gleam forming in her eyes as the Pokemon's cuteness distracted her from the magical crystal on her hat.

"You are such a girl." Ash said with an eye roll before pulling out his pokedex.

 _Budew, the Bud Pokémon. In winter, it keeps its bud closed to survive the cold, but then opens it again in the spring._

"A grass and poison type, nice." Ash said putting his Dex away, but Twilight stopped him, making him instantly go still on instinct..

"Wait, look." She said pointing at the picture of Budew on the Dex.

"It looks different." She said. Ash looked at the Budew in front of them and then the picture on the Dex.

"Oh wow, you're right! Good eye! That means this is a Shiny!" Ash said putting his Dex in his pocket.

"A...Shiny?" Twilight asked in confusion, not understanding what was so special about a different colored Pokemon.

Twilight knew back in Equestria that animals in the same species would have different colors of fur, but that was just simple genetics. Ash, once again realising he was in the presence of someone who had no idea what a Pokemon was a few days ago, nodded and began to explain

"You see there are Pokemon in the world that are colored differently, there's nothing really special about them other than them being very hard to find. Like REALLY hard to find." He said with emphasis.

Twilight nodded, turning back to the Bud Pokemon and realised its expression. It seemed out of breath, as it took heavy pants with sweat rolling down it's face. It appeared to be worried, scared of something maybe, but definitely flustered. It kept looking behind itself, as if it was looking for something specific. It also looked around sporadically in between looking behind it and staring at the two of them. It looked like it was trying to find away to get away from the two trainers for whatever reason and that reason made Twilight curious.

"It looks like it's afraid." Twilight said slowly, taking in how cute, yet sad it looked.

"It probably was running away from something in the forest. I heard there are some strong Pokemon in these woods." Ash said, kneeling to get a better look at the Budew. The Budew just shuffled back a little, but not before once again checking behind itself.

"Maybe, but...wait. If there are dangerous creatures in that forest why were you so nonchalant about letting Pikachu and Marill run around in there! Especially after what happened last time!" Twilight asked loudly, before catching herself and holding her breath, looking back at the Budew to see her a little scared from the yelling.

Ash just casually replied, "I thought they'd be fine." to which Twilight let out a sigh and said to herself.

"Why do I even try? I need to just realize you will never learn." she said quietly.

"Anyway, that might be the case, but she seems scared of something else as well. It's almost like she's...scared of us." Twilight continued. It made sense at first. Animals are naturally afraid of bigger potential predators, since that's just basic instinct. But this Pokemon, 1. Was a creature was a lot smarter than most animals back in Equestria, and 2. Seemed to have a reason to be afraid. She wasn't just afraid of the two of them, since she really didn't have a specific reason to fear them, she appeared to be afraid of humans in general.

"Well yeah, a lot of Pokemon are afraid of humans. Some even hostile towards us. And since this Budew's a shiny, I'm not that surprised she's a little squirmish around us." Ash replied like it was normal, yet still with a hint of reluctance.

"But why would-" she began before she was interrupted by a loud, repeating thumping and rustling noise that was getting increasingly louder with each second.

"What now?" Ash asked with slight annoyance in his voice. Budew's eyes widened in fear. She quickly ran past the two trainers and hid behind the tree that Ash hit.

"Budew what's-"

Just then, A loud roar came from the bushes and a huge shadowy figure could be seen in the direction Budew came from.

"What is that thing, some kind of bear?!" Twilight asked in a scared tone, basically screaming. Ash looked at the shadow and examined it closely.

"It looks familiar, it's not a Snorlax and it's not a Nidoking or queen either." He said as the figure grew closer to them.

"Whatever it is, it what's scaring the Budew." Twilight said. The figure then let out another roar and jumped out of the bushes to reveal a huge bear-like Pokemon with a sharp claws, a tan ring-shaped mark on it's chest and very sharp teeth.

"I knew it looked familiar, it's an Ursaring." Ash explained.

"Ursaring?" Twilight asked before pulling out her Pokedex.

 _Ursaring, the Hibernator Pokémon. An excellent tree climber, it snaps trees with its front legs, and eats the fallen fruit._

Twilight heard what her Dex said and her face paled. "It can snap…..a tree!?" Twilight asked in shock.

"Yeah, Ursaring are very strong and very temperamental." Ash said taking a slight step back.

The Ursaring looked at the two trainers and began walking toward them. Ash got in front of Twilight again and stared the Ursaring down. Budew then peeked from behind the tree and saw the Ursaring nearing the two trainers.

" _Finally *breathes* I can catch my breath. Phew. That Ursaring is finally distracted on something other than me for once in his life. Now's the time to make a quiet escape_." Budew said before slowly walking away but as she did…

 ** **CRACK!****

Budew flinched and looked down to see that she had stepped on a twig. " _Oh Arceus_." She said before turning around. What she saw was Ash, Twilight and Ursaring looking right at her.

" _Why me_." Budew said running off. The Ursaring ran past Twilight and Ash, jumped into the air and landed in front of Budew. "Dew!" Budew said in fear. Ursaring then raised it's claws which began to glow and brought them down onto Budew.

 ** **DEEEWWWW!****

Budew screamed as Ursaring's claw connected with Budew's face causing her to fall to the ground. Ash and Twilight saw this and ran over to the Budew only to be stopped by a Focus Blast that hit the ground in a few feet away from them.

"What was that!" Twilight yelled standing behind Ash, seeing the bear-like Pokemon fire an energy blast from its paws.

"What's your deal?" Ash asked, glaring at the Ursaring. The Ursaring ignored Ash and picked the unconscious Budew up.

"Ring!" Ursaring said with a nod before running off.

"Hey, Get back here!" Ash said before running after the Ursaring.

"Ash hold on!" Twilight said grabbing the boy's arm.

"What the heck Twilight, we have to help that Budew." Ash said trying to pull away.

"Ash think for a minute, We don't have Marill or Pikachu right now. If we follow the Ursaring now, what are we supposed to do? That was bear that just shot balls of energy at us! Do you really want to deal with that without Pikachu?" Twilight asked, trying the talk some sense into her friend. Twilight's words seemed to calm Ash down because he relaxed his arm and looked down.

"Why do you have to be right?" Ash asked scratching the back of his head.

"Well one of us has to be and right now it's not you." Twilight replied. Ash chuckled a bit.

"Yea sorry, I got a little reckless." He said.

"It's fine, come on let's find Pikachu and Marill." Twilight said walking away, but before she could get a good two steps in a Yellow blur tackled her to the ground. Ash saw this and went to check on Twilight only to also be tackled to the ground by a blue blur.

"OW! Urrrrr, How many times am I going to get thrown to the ground today?" Ash asked rubbing his head. He then looked down to see Marill rubbing her head as well.

"Mar? Marill!" Marill said nuzzling Ash.

"Good to see you too Marill." Ash said petting her.

"Hey don't try to steal my partner or I'm taking yours." Ash and Marill looked over to see Twilight holding Pikachu in her arms.

"Pika Pika, Pika Pi." Pikachu said with a pout.

"Aww come on pal! No one can replace you." Ash said.

"Marill Mar." Marill said with a giggle.

"Anyway, what were you two doing in such a hurry?" Twilight ash the two mouse pokemon. "Marill mar! Marill!" Marill said pointing in the direction the Ursaring ran into.

"I see, you two heard what was going on and ran over." Ash explained.

"Pika." Pikachu said with a nod.

"Well, since we got you two I say we pay that bear a visit." Twilight said with a confident smile.

"Agreed, let's go." With that the two trainers ran into the forest after the Ursaring, but something felt off.

"Why do I feel like we're forgetting something?" Twilight asked.

"I know what you mean." Ash said.

"Pika!"

"Mar!"

The two trainers looked down to see that they were still holding the other partner.

"Oops." They both said before switching pokemon. Pikachu got of Ash's Shoulder and Marill got on Twilight's.

"That's better." Twilight said.

"You said it." Ash said with a smile. While the two kept running, Team Rocket was still on their tails in their balloon.

"Well that was interesting." James said.

"I find it strange, Why did the Ursaring take that little green Pokemon?" Jessie asked in confusion.

"I'm not sure but I will say this that Ursaring is packing some real power. Not only that, it has a Pokemon we haven't seen before. I say we get four birds with one stone,." Meowth suggested.

"Agreed just think what the boss would say if we gifted him with all four." James said with a smile.

"Then we all agree, let's get to work." Jessie said with a sinister smirk.

 _Location:?_

Deep in the forest, a small cabin filled with bruised and beaten Shiny Pokemon in cages and a man with green hair on the phone.

"Yes Ma'am, I have the pokemon ready for transport."

"Good I'll arrive in 10 minutes, make sure nothing happens until then."

"Yes Ma'am." The Man hung up his phone just in time to see the Ursaring walk inside with Budew in his arms.

"Ah there you are and with our target, good work." The man said with a smile.

"Ursa!" Ursaring said handing Budew over to the man.

"Perfect." The man said before putting Budew in a cage which also held a Shiny Cacnea.

"Now we just have to wait for the boss to get here." The man said. Budew began to stir and she slowly opened her eyes.

" _Ugh, what hit me_?" She asked herself.

" _The same thing that hit all of us_." Budew turned to see the Cacnea sitting in the corner of the cage.

" _What do you- The Ursaring!"_ Budew said understanding.

" _That's right, every pokemon here was captured by that Ursaring and that guy over there_." Cacnea explained pointing out the human who was sitting down in a chair across the room.

" _Urrrrrgh, Why! Why does this keep happening! What's so special about us, beside the fact we were born with slightly different colors_?" Budew asked.

" _You're preaching to the high choir lady. Every caged Pokemon here has been hunted. We're all different and apparently that holds value to them. Not like it matters anyway. I hear the human talking to some other person about a client wanting us for their collection."_ Cacnea said. Budew's eyes widened in fear.

" _No not again."_ Budew said looking down. Cacnea was confused by the Bud Pokemon's words.

" _What are you talking about_?" He asked. The Budew however just started shaking.

" _Not another one. Not another one_." She kept saying to herself.

" _Hey, are you ok there_?" The Cacnea asked, leaning in.

" _I can't go back into another collection_!" Budew almost screamed, the man in green hair hearing her and turning toward the cage.

"Hey! Keep it down or my client will be getting her delivery in pieces!" He yelled back, turning back to the magazine he was looking at earlier once he was done. The Budew squealed after hearing the man yell and huddled herself in a corner.

" _Why me? What did I do to deserve this? I just want to stop running for once and live my life, but every time I think I'm free someone else comes and chases me. *Sniff*."_ The Budew began to sob, trying to think positively to stop the flood gates.

" _Hey, cheer up. I can't stand seeing a lady cry. It's not the end. I've been on the run for years. My folks left me when I was born, knew I would be a hassle. But trust me when I say your lowest points are when you need to look up the highest. Its when you need to feel like nothing can touch you. Cause when you're at you worst, life can't screw you over any more_." The Cacnea said with a chuckle.

Budew just looked up at the Cacnea eyes still watering a little. She remembered hearing something like that, and remembered it fondly. A warm voice filled her head, and she couldn't help but smile.

" _Heh, No where to go but up, huh?"_ Budew replied, with a little giggle as well. They just kinda stared at each other for a bit before a roaring sound took the attention of every Pokemon in the room. The Ursaring entered the cabin, pointing outside while looking at the man in the chair.

"Ugh, what is it now."

 _With Ash and Twilight_

"It couldn't have gotten far." Ash said as he and Twilight ran through the forest.

"He did get a head start on us, it's possible he just- Wait, look!" Twilight said pointing ahead. Ash looked to see a small cabin.

"You think he's in there?" Ash asked.

"Only on way to find out." Twilight said. Pikachu and Marill looked at one another before nodding. Once they made it to the cabin, Ash was about to kick the door in, but Twilight quickly stopped him.

"If he's not in there, I'd rather not have the people who do live in there think we're crazy." She explained. Ash pouted but nodded his head.

"Fine." He said reaching for the nob, but as he did a Focus Blast came flying from the right and it would have hit him if Pikachu hadn't quickly knocked it away with his tail. Ash then pulled Twilight away for the door which the Ursaring came barrelling forward.

"RING!" Ursaring yelled as he swung and missed the duo with his claws. Ash and Twilight stared at the bear with determination, yet Twilight still couldn't help but look at the beast with fear.

"Pikachu!" Ash commanded.

"Pika!" Pikachu said jumping off of Ash's shoulder with his cheeks sparking.

"Marill!" Twilight also commanded, shaking her head to show a fully determined and battle ready expression. Marill wasted no time jumping off of Twilight and landing next to Pikachu.

"Mar!" She said with determination in her voice.

The Ursaring roared and turned around, swiftly opening the door and pointing toward where Ash and Twilight were standing. The Ursaring came walking out, this time with someone standing next to him. He had long green hair, a red jacket and black pants. He grinned once he saw the two kids and the small Pokemon in front of them.

"Oh, it's just you two." The man said in his deep and scruffy voice. Twilight squinted a little, but quickly realised who she was looking at.

"You're that guy from the town who bumped into me!" Twilight said, remembering his tall stature and unique clothes.

"Sorry about that by the way. I just had places I needed to be." He said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "So, what brings you two to my humble abode with those sour looks on your faces." He asked, chuckling as he looked over their battle ready stances. Ash was about to speak up before Twi jumped in.

"Do you know what your Pokemon has been doing?" she asked angrily. The man just smirked and replied.

"I like to think I have a pretty good idea." He said turning toward the Ursaring.

"Well did you know he's been harassing, and even attacked a defenseless Pokemon in the forest! It even attacked us just now! He almost sliced Ash in half!"

"Well I'll be. I didn't realise how efficient you were Ursaring. Don't think this hard work won't go unnoticed." the man said with a sly grin. Twilight looked appalled, staring at the man mouth agape.

"What the…How could you possibly encourage such behavior. It attacked us! And you're proud of that! Why?" Twilight continued, still confused and upset

"Maybe cuz thats what I told him to do, little missy. Maybe you should what you're told and turn yourself around before you won't be able to anymore." He replied, now leering at Twilight, who flinched, starting to shake at what the man was saying.

"Wh-what? Wh-How...how could you." Twilight stuttered, shaking due to the man's intensity. Courtney was intense, but this guy just oozed with malice. He didn't care about what happened to anyone, including the well-being of herself and Ash. She just didn't understand. Why was he doing this.

"Its pretty simple. My client wants shinies for a...well-paying individual. My client didn't want to do the dirty work, so she contacted me and required my...services." He answered, turning to his Ursaring as he finished.

"What...services?" Twilight asked, still not sure what the man meant.

"Wow, you sure are daft. I'm a poacher you nitwit." He replied, becoming slightly agitated.

"A...A poacher?" Twilight was still unclear. She didn't understand what the man was saying.

"For the love of...I steal and capture Pokemon and sell them to make a quick buck! Its simple stuff. I beat em within an inch of their life, and sell them to whoever adds the most zeroes. Now if you don't mind, I have a cabin full of merchandise to prepare." He said, hoping that would be the end of it. Twilight, however, was paralyzed. She had never heard of something so brutal and soulless. Courtney and her goons were criminals to be sure, but this man...this man was something else.

"Y-you monster! What is wrong with you! Those are living beings you...you…!" She screamed. She wasn't even aware how loud she was yelling. She was so upset and angry that it all just came out. Ash just stood back and watched, slightly terrified, as Twilight went off.

"Woah there! Whats the problem here, kid? I didn't steal you Pokemon...at least not yet. Now I'm gonna say this one more time. Turn around, walk away, and pretend this conversation never happened. I don't wanna hurt a bunch of kids." He said, his exprssion turning serious.

"I...you..we're not gonna-!" Twilight continued to stutter, her voice rough from the screaming. She was scared, angry, confused, and shocked all at once, and she wasn't entirely sure how to convey her emotions into words. Luckily, she didn't have to.

"We're not going anywhere. And neither are you!" Ash said determined as he stepped forward. Twilight looked at Ash, who turned around and nodded. Twilight still wasn't sure how she felt, but she reluctantly nodded and turned to the poacher.

"Well, I did sign up to do the dirty work." He said, turning to Ursaring and giving a quick nod.

Ursaring raised his claws and he began rushing Pikachu and Marill.

"Pikachu, Double Team!" Ash commanded quickly. Pikachu spread his arms out, and in a matter of seconds multiple Pikachu began to appear.

"Marill, Dodge using Rollout!" Twilight Commanded. Marill quickly curled into a ball and took off at high speed. Ursaring brought his claws down on one of the Pikachu's causing it to disappear. Ursaring then looked around to see that he was surrounded by a ring of Pikachu's.

"Go for it Twi!" Ash said with a nod.

"Wh...oh, I get it. Marill, Use Water Gun!" Twilight Commanded. Marill who was still rolling made a quick turn and headed straight for Ursaring planning to use the Pikachu's as cover. The man narrowed his eyes.

"Ursaring stop playing around with these kids! Use Earthquake!" Ash's eyes widened when her heard that.

"What?" Twilight exasperated as she heard what the man had called out.

"Earthquake! Are you kidding me? There is no way this thing can-"

"Pikachu, jump quick!" Ash commanded in a worried tone. As Ursaring brought his claws up again while Pikachu jumped as high as he could and watched as the large bear hit the ground and caused a massive earthquake. Ash held his ground just fine, Twilight, who was not only caught off guard while thinking to herself, but still not 100% used to her new legs, on the other hand…

"Whoa!" She yelled falling and landing on her back.

"Ow!" Twilight said rubbing where she had landed.

"You ok?" Ash asked, quickly running over as the quakes ended.

"I'm fine, but-" "MARILL!" Both trainers looked to Twilight's partner and saw that she had been thrown backwards into a tree by the Earthquake.

"Marill!" Twilight said running over to her partner. Pikachu landed back on the ground and saw Marill on the ground. His cheeks began to spark and he gritted his teeth.

"PIKA PI! PIKACHU!" Pikachu said looking at Ash. Ash knew exactly what his old friend was saying.

"I'm with you pal, THUNDER!" Ash yelled. Pikachu began running towards Ursaring before jumping in the air.

"PIKA-CHU!" Pikachu yelled as he put all his energy into his Thunder attack.

"SARING!" Ursaring screamed in pain and staggered a bit. Once the attack was finished, Pikachu landed back on the ground and saw that Ursaring was still covered in static.

"Nice, it's Paralyzed." Ash said with a smile before looking at the man again.

"I'd put your Ursaring back in it's Pokeball if I were you pal, it's too weak to continue." He explained. The man just stared at Ash before he started….laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh sweet Arceus, you're funny kid. You're really funny if you think my Ursaring is down for the count." He explained. Ash raised an eyebrow at this.

"What do you-" Just then he saw the Ursaring punch the ground causing it to crack a bit. Ursaring was then covered in a red aura while still being covered in static. Ash and Pikachu both took a step back.

"What's going on?" He asked. Ursaring then stood back up to reveal it's blood red eyes.

"What in the-" "It's called 'Guts' kid, it's a very useful ability the increases attack power if a status condition is in effect." The man explained. Ash and Pikachu gritted their teeth.

"Well this isn't good." Ash said.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu said.

"That's right kid, now let's see you handle this little twist! Ursaring, Hammer Arm!" The man Commanded. Ursaring arms began glowing pure white and he charged towards Pikachu.

"Guts or not, We're not losing! Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash Commanded. Pikachu began running toward ursaring with great speed. As they neared each other, Pikachu increased his speed even more and was soon behind Ursaring, running underneath it as it barreled forward.

"What the-" The man said in disbelief.

"Go Pikachu!" Ash said. Pikachu then turned back around and slammed right into Ursaring's back causing him to fall to the ground.

"Nice job buddy." Ash said with a smile. Pikachu smiled, but it was short lived as the Ursaring grabbed Pikachu by the neck and held him in the air.

"Pikachu!" Ash screamed. The man just laughed.

"Shouldn't have let your guard down, kid, now your Pikachu's gotta pay the price!" The poacher said. Ash began running over to his partner but Ursaring neared his claws to Pikachu's neck.

"Ah ah, ah. Wouldn't want Ursaring's claws to slip now would you?" The man asked with a smug look on his face. Ash stopped and growled.

"You know, usually I'm not such a bad guy, but since you attacked me on private property, I'm going to have to teach you a lesson. Ursaring, Hyper Beam on Pikachu!" The man commanded.

Ash's eyes widened in fear, a Hyper Beam that close could put his right back into the hospital, possibly worse. Ursaring opened his mouth and a black orb formed insideit. Ash only had seconds before Pikachu was hit.

" _Think Ash, think! For every problem there is a solution!"_ Ash thought. Just then he remembered something he probably should've remembered right away. Pikachu was an electric type. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt and hold nothing back!" Ash commanded. Pikachu's eyes looked at the Ursaring and he began charging his attack.

"PI-KA!" Pikachu said still charging. "Fire NOW!" The man yelled. The black orb then turned into a full blown laser and just as it was about to connect with Pikachu...

 ** **CHUUU!****

 ** **KA-BOOM!****

A huge explosion went off causing Ash to run over to Marill and Twilight and shield them both.

"Ash, what about-" He's fine….I know he is." Ash said with a hopeful smile. Marill saw the smile and prayed that Ash was right.

"Please let him be ok." She thought.

After a few seconds, everyone looked to see a huge dust cloud and inside were the shadows of both Pikachu who was on the ground standing tall and Ursaring who was standing over him. The smoke then began to clear and Pikachu has a few scratches on him, but was fine. Ursaring on the other hand may have been standing but he had swirls in his eyes. The man stared at his Ursaring in shock.

"Ursaring…." He said weakly. Ash, Twilight and Marill all smiled at the yellow mouse.

"Nice job buddy." Ash said. Pikachu turned to his partner.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu said with a smile. After a few seconds, Ursaring fell to the ground and the man returned him to his pokeball.

"Dammit." He said before glaring at Ash and Twilight.

"You'll pay for this!" He said pulling out another Pokeball. Pikachu got ready once again, but before the man could throw the pokeball a mechanical hand quickly grabbed it out of his hand and also took Ursaring's Pokeball from him belt.

"What the!" He yelled seeing his pokeballs being taken away. Before Ash and Twilight could react as well, Another mechanical hand grabbed Marill.

"MARY!" Twilight said as Marill was snached away from her.

"Who did that?!" Ash asked angrily. Pikachu turned to see what was happening, but instead saw another mechanical hand heading for him.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash commanded. Pikachu composed himself and swiftly moved out of the way causing the metal hand to hit the ground.

"PIKA PIKA!" Pikachu cried out to Marill.

"Mar Mar!" Marill said still in the metal hands grip.

"Aww that's so cute." Just then, a hot air balloon in the shape on a Meowth appeared from behind the forest trees.

"Oh for Arceus's sake, not now!" Ash said gritting his teeth

 _Team Rocket XYZ Theme_  
Prepare for trouble, You know the drill!  
And make and it double, You'll get your fill!  
To protect the world from devastation!  
To protect all people within our nation!  
To unite the evils of truth and love!  
To extend our reach to the stars above!  
It's Jesse!  
And James!  
Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!  
Surrender now or prepare to-"

"Salamence, Hyper Beam!" Team Rocket froze for a minute before turning around and seeing a black laser heading for them.

"What the-" "Wobbuffet, Mirror Coat NOW!" Jessie Commanded. Wobbuffet jumped and front of the Black laser and was soon covered in a bright white light.

"WOBBUFFET!" Wobbuffet yelled as the laser connected with him it bounced off him and hit the side of the Poachers house.

"Dammit!" He said gritting his teeth.

 _With Budew_

Budew, Cacnea and the rest of the shiny Pokemon were all listening to the battle outside. " _What's going on out there_?" Cacnea asked.

" _I'm not sure, maybe someone's here to help us_." A Shiny Magnemite said.

" _I doubt it, no one knows we're out here_." Cacnea replied in a sad tone.

 _"Oh, stop being so doom and gloom, I'm sure_ -"

 ** **BOOM!****

Before any of the captured pokemon knew it, a huge explosion caused most of their cages to fall over. Most of Pokemon were rendered unconscious due to the explosion.

" _Ouch, that's gonna leave a mark."_ Cacnea said rubbing his head.

" _I know what you mean_." Budew said. The two stood up and looked around.

" _What was that explosion_?" Budew asked.

" _Not sure, but it was a lucky break for us_." Cacnea said.

 _"_ _What do you mean_?" Budew said looking over to Cacnea who looked at the cage briefly before banging on said cage's door.

" _Whatever that explosion was it weakened the structure of the cage, you have enough energy for an attack_?" Cacnea asked. Budew nodded. "Ok, on the count of three." Cacnea said preparing a Pin Missile. Budew nodded and readied herself.

" _One...two...three!"_

Cacnea fired multiple Pin Missiles at the door while Budew fired a Bullet seed attack. Both grass types kept their attacks focused on the door and after a few seconds they knocked it down.

" _We did it!"_ Budew cheered.

" _Not too bad, kid, now let's get out of here before big and hairy gets back. And his Ursaring to_." Budew raised her eyebrow and gave Cacnea a curious look as he jumped down from the table the cage rested upon.

" _We can't leave yet. All these other Pokemon look like...it looks like they're all unconscious! We need to get them out of here!"_ Budew said, running over to another cage on the table and trying to open it up.

It wasn't going well, considering the Pokemon's lack of arms, and rather feeble strength. Cacnea, just gained a quick scowl and looked back toward the door, before turning back to Budew.

" _They'll wake up eventually. We need to go through, now! That explosion did some real damage on this cabin. This is our chance to get out. We don't have much time_!" Cacnea called, trying to get Budew to run with him.

" _If we don't have much time, then maybe you should help me...with these cages. It would go twice as fast if I had an extra…or rather an actual set of hands."_ Budew responded, still struggling to open the cage. She had a uplifting tone, almost like she was joking around with Cacnea. Cacnea however, did not find Budew funny.

" _Are you seriously screwing around at a time like this! This is our chance, our one Arceus damned chance to escape, and you're messing around?! We need to leave right now, cause if we don't, no one will be leaving. Are you really going to waste your one chance to get out of here?!"_ Cacnea yelled, getting more and more angry as he went on, counting every second he was wasting on the childish Pokemon.

Budew, meanwhile, was still. She had stopped fiddling with the cage and was just gazing upon the lock that was trapping another helpless Shiny in another equally claustrophobic cage as hers. It wasn't the first time she was trapped in a cage, and chances are it wouldn't be the last. But as Cacnea was yelling for her to get moving, she just closed her eyes, remembering a soft voice that kept her going.

" _I will never give up on you, so don't give up on yourself, and don't give up on others_."

" _No, I'm not going to waste this chance_." Budew said, raising her voice slightly.

Budew turned around, and looked down at Cacnea, who was scowling with a raised eyebrow.

" _I'm going to help these Pokemon, and I'm not leaving until they are all free_."

Cacnea rolled his eyes.

" _There isn't anytime! You said you wanted to be free, right? This,_ _ **This**_ _, is your only opportunity. I'm not waiting to be shoved back in a cage or torn apart by that Ursaring. So_ -"

" _Then leave_!" Budew yelled, straining to raise and strain her voice at that level. Cacnea just lost his look of anger and annoyance, and doble took at the Budew standing above him.

" _Huh_?"

" _If you don't wanna help these innocent Pokemon escape, then fine, leave! No one is forcing you to stay anymore. You're just wasting time_."

" _But...you said you wanted to esc_ -"

" _Of course I want to escape! Who honestly wants to be trapped in some psycho's cage for their whole life! So yes, I do want to be free. But you know who else wants to be free? All of these Pokemon! None of them want to be trapped, and if they were awake, then they would be clawing away to freedom just like us! But they can't….so I will_."

And with that, Budew turned away, continuing to fumble with the lock, hitting it with Bullet Seed after Bullet Seed, whittling it down blast by blast. Cacnea looked down, and after a moment of deliberation…

Turned around and walked away.

As he walked toward the door, and prepared to open it, he turned around, looking at Budew, still working on the cage.  
" _You're pretty naive, you know that_?" he said solemnly. Budew just continued working on the lock, not turning around as she answered with an equally low voice.

" _Well what kind of Pokemon would I be if I didn't help Pokemon in need_." She replied with a small hint of spite.

Cacnea just nodded and opened the door.

" _Couldn't tell ya. My folks coulda, though_." He mumbled under his breath as he walked out, running of as the situation outside worsened.

 _With Ash and Twilight_

Ash and Twilight were on the ground because of the explosion on the poacher's house, and Pikachu was still standing, looking a Marill..

" _Don't worry I'm coming_!" He said. Marill nodded and smiled at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, you ok?" Ash said as he and Twilight got up.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said with a nod.

"Good, what about you Twi?" Ash asked.

"I'm fine, but what was that?" Twilight asked rubbing her head.

"It looked like a Hyper Beam attack, but where did it come from?" Ash asked looking around. Team Rocket looked just as confused as Twilight and Ash.

"HEY, WHO'S THE WISE GUY!" Jessie yelled in anger.

"Forgive me, but I was getting tired of the ridiculous speech."

Everyone looked up to see a draconic Pokémon with a long, tapering tail. It was primarily blue with a gray lower jaw and thickly scaled underside. There were also red markings on its throat, the underside of its tail, stripes on the inner surface of its legs and a pair of red wings.

"Whoa, I've never see that Pokemon before." Ash said before pulling out his Pokedex.

Salamence, the Dragon Pokemon and the final evolved form of Bagon, When angered, it loses all sense of itself and destroys everything around it. The destruction will continue until Salamence has tired itself out.

"Whoa, it's a lot bigger than a Dragonite." Ash said looking at the Salamence. Twilight just stood behind Ash trembling a bit.

"Pathetic, these little kids are giving you trouble?" Just then a woman with short silver hair, a purple trench coat, a visor, covering her eyes and red high heels jumped off of the Salamence and landed on the ground.

"Forgive me Ma'am, they-" "I don't want to hear your excuses you buffoon!" The Silver haired woman said.

"Hey!" The woman and the poacher both looked up to Team Rocket's balloon.

"What do you want. I'm busy you second rate thieves?" The woman said coldly.

"SECOND RATE, WHY I OTTA!" James and Meowth held Jessie from jumping out of the Balloon.

"Chill out Jessie!" James said.

"Yea, that lady looks like she means business." Meowth said. Jessie didn't hear a word her teammates said, she was too busy screaming at the mysterious lady.

"Ugh, I don't have time for this. Salamence, Dragon Pulse!" The woman commanded. Salamence didn't waste any time firing a multi-colored laser, headed straight toward Team Rocket.

"OH CRAP!" Team Rocket said before their balloon was hit by the laser and popped, causing the balloon to lose all its air and blow the trio off into the sky.

"That woman is going to pay once I get my hands on her!" Jessie said angrily.

"I wonder who that woman was anyway." James said putting a hand on his chin.

"I'LL TELL YOU WHO SHE IS, SHE'S A DEAD WOMAN!" Jessie yelled.

"Nice to see you see you haven't lose your fighting spirit considering..." Meowth said patting the redhead on the back.

"Considering...WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" Team Rocket yelled before disappearing in the wild blue yonder. Marill began falling from the sky, the metal arm that held on to her having let go due to the popped balloon, and began crying out.

"Mary!" Twilight said in a worried tone.

"Pikachu use Quick attack and catch Marill." Ash commanded.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu said before taking off at blinding speeds.

He then jumped into the air caught Marill before she hit the ground. Pikachu, holding Marill, rolled onto the ground, tumbling a few feet together before coming to a stop. Both of their eyes were closed and they were both covered in scratches and bruises, as well as slightly dusty from rolling on the ground. Pikachu had more scratches on him than Marill, but they were both fine. They both simultaneously opened their eyes slowly, Marill underneath Pikachu as they stared at eachother for a brief moment. Pikachu then broke the silence, giving a quick smirk

"Sorry about the rough landing." Pikachu jovially apologized. Marill, blushing slightly and not breaking eye contact, replied.

"No problem." she said with a similar smile

They got up and dusted off before running back over to Twilight and Ash.

"Mary!" Twilight said as her partner jumped into her arms.

"Marill Mar!" Marill said happily.

"I'm so happy you're ok." Twilight said with a smile. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and he nuzzled his partner.

"You did good pal, looks like we haven't lost our touch after all." Ash said with a smile.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu said with a smile.

"How quaint, but if you're quite done..." Ash and Twilight turned to the silver haired woman and her Salamence.

"Ok, I'll ask the obvious question here. Who are you?" Ash asked in a serious tone.

"Hmph...My name is Hunter J, not that you two live long enough to remember it. Salamence, Hyper Beam!" J commanded. Salamence quickly fired a black laser at the two trainers.

"Pikachu, ThunderBolt!

"Marill, Water Gun!"

Both Pikachu and Marill both jumped and fired their respective attack the Hyper Beam. All three attacks collided and created another huge explosion causing Ash and Pikachu to Shield Twilight and Marill. During the explosion, a certain cactus pokemon made his getaway.

"Perfect distraction, time to book it." Cacnea said before running. "I wonder who those wackos in the balloon were?" He thought to himself before disappearing into the forest.

After the explosion, Ash and Twilight looked back at the battlefield and saw Pikachu, Marill and Salamence still standing.

"Pikachu, you ok?" Ash asked.

"Pika!" Pikachu said not taking his eyes off of Salamence.

"Mary?" Twilight asked.

"Mar!" Marill said.

"I'm impressed, not just anyone can block my Salamence's Hyper Beam." J said with a smirk.

"What is you deal lady?" Ash asked.

"That is no concern of yours kid, Salamence Flamethrower on the ground!" J commanded. Salamence released a torrent of flames from his mouth and aimed it in front of the two mouse pokemon creating a wall of fire. Pikachu and Marill both jumped backwards to avoid the flames and went back to Ash and Twilight. J quickly returned Salamence to his pokeball and walked over to the poacher who bowed.

"I have transport on the way, here." J then handed the poacher his Pokeballs. "I caught them after I sent those three fools flying. Show me the Pokemon, quickly." She said. The poacher nodded and walked his boss into the cabin. Upon arriving inside, the poacher was shocked when he saw most of the the cages were completely empty.

"What the hell!" He exclaimed in confusion. J looked at the empty cages and gave the poacher an irritated look.  
"If this is some kind of joke you ingrate, I'm not laughing." She said with a slight growl.

"I...I don't-"

 ** **SMASH!****

J and the poacher turned to see a broken window and most of the pokemon that were freed from their cages jumping out of it.

"DEW DEW!" J then looked to see Budew firing Bullet Seed at the final cage.

"I see so that Budew is the one that freed the Pokemon." She said.

"Why that little green-!" The poacher started angrily. Budew finished opening the final cage allowing the pokemon to escape.

"DEW DEW!" Budew said before following the remaining pokemon.

"Most of them maybe gone, but that one isn't going anywhere." J then took a out a pokeball and threw it in front of the remaining pokemon. The pokeball opened and released at huge purple Scorpion looking pokemon.

"DRAP!" The scorpion roared. Budew and the pokemon in front of her all stooped.

"Drapion, Cross Poison!" J commanded.

Drapion crossed its arms in front of it's face and its claws start to glow purple. A purple 'X' then appeared in front of its crossed arms and it opens its hands, firing the 'X' at the the group. Budew then jumped in front of the group and fired a Bullet Seed attack at the Cross poison. This then caused a small explosion causing Budew to fall to the ground.

" _Are you alright_?" A shiny Magnemite who had quickly floated over asked.

" _Don't worry about me! Get out of her before the smoke clears!"_ Budew said in a serious tone. The other pokemon looked at one another before nodding and jumping out of the shattered window. Budew quickly got up and headed for the window only to get grabbed by Drapion's tail.

"DEW!" Budew screamed in pain.

"You little pest, you ruined everything." The poacher said walking over to Drapion. Drapion then looked over to J who nodded to it. Drapion then opened his mouth and fired multiple purple pins at the poacher's back.

"WHAT THE- ARGGG!" The poacher screamed in pain. Jay just watched with a smirk on her face. The poacher then landed on the ground and looked to J.

"What the hell boss, control that overgrown scorpion!" He said angrily.

"I have zero tolerance for weaklings and numbskulls who can't keep the end of their bargains." J said coldly before walking up to him and kicking him in the head knocking him unconscious.

"Fool." J then walked over to Budew who was still in Drapion's grip. "For such a small pokemon, you've caused me a lot of trouble." She said. Budew looked at the woman with fear in it's eyes. "I will admit, you're pretty brave and you'd make a fine addition to my team, but unfortunately for you I'm under contract and already a couple dozen pests short of my quota, so my hands are tied. Let's go Drapion." J ordered as she began walking toward the door. Drapion nodded followed his Trainer. Budew had no energy for another Bullet Seed, so she stopped resisting and closed her eyes, beginning to let her exhaustion take over.

" _Well, at least I saved the others_." She thought to herself.

 _With Ash and Twilight_

Meanwhile, Ash, Twilight, and their Pokemon were still trapped behind a massive wall of flames.

"Twilight, you know what to do right?" Ash asked.

"Who...who are these people?" Twilight asked meekly

"Huh?" Ash replied, slightly confused

"What are these...poachers and...and now hunters? Why would...why would anyone do this?" Twilight asked, clearly upset that people like this exist in this world. Ash, still confused by how badly this was affecting her, thought about it for a second and replied.

"I don't know what to say really. Poachers are just a normal part of society that people have to deal with. Its terrible, of course, but we just have to deal with them as they appear." Ash tried to reason. But Twilight was not satisfied in the slightest. She shot her head up, a mixture of anger and sadness in her expression.

"Normal!? People...people like them are normal here!? People who sell...living creatures for profit against their will...who attack and injure them...They're normal here!?" Twilight yelled. Pikachu and Marill just looked at each other, concern for Twilight evident in their faces.

"Well, I mean...poachers are by far an exception to the trend of people here, but yeah...I guess."

"I can't believe this! I can't believe...I can't believe humans can be so...so cruel." She was upset now. From what Arceus told her, this world was beautiful and special. And he wasn't wrong about that, but he certainly didn't mention people like these poachers.

"Hey, humans aren't all bad. Poachers are just…" Ash started, not sure how to properly defend himself in this situation.

"I just can't believe anyone is capable of such...evil. First those hooded criminals...and now these monsters. Is there anything else that hasn't almost killed me you wanna tell me about?" Twilight asked, a sharpened tone in her voice.

Ash looked at the fire in front of them, not really sure what to do or say. He just looked down, took a deep breath, and walked over to Twi.

"I know that this looks bad. I'm guessing people like these don't really exist where you're from huh?" Ash asked, trying to make eye contact with Twilight.

"No...there are those who raise animals and sell them but...nothing like...nothing like this." She answered, remembering Equestria again.

"I know that some people here...suck. They just suck. But then there are people like Nurse Joy, and Professor Birch, and Alden. Genuinely nice people who are willing to help complete strangers. I know this world is far from perfect, but from what little you've told me, you're world isn't perfect either." Twilight looked at Ash, realising he was right. His speech didn't entirely erase her anger. In fact, she was still pretty pissed off at humans as a whole, but now wasn't the time to dwell on that anyway. Right now, she was human to, and she still needed to do the right thing, like others she has already met on her journey.

"Okay." She replied with a nodd.

"You ready to help those Pokemon?" Ash asked with a grin.

"You bet. Marill, Water Gun!" Twilight commanded. Marill nodded and released a stream of water from her mouth to extinguish the flames. It took a minute, but eventually all the flames were out.

"Good job Mary!" Twilight said with a smile.

"Marill Mar." Marill said smiling back at her partner. "Nice work, come we have to-"

 ** **SMASH!****

Ash and Twilight turned to the cabin and saw a shattered window with a bunch of Shiny Pokemon jumping out of it.

"Wow, I've never seen this many shinies in one place." Ash said slightly impressed.

"It's sickening that he captured all of these poor Pokemon." Twilight said narrowing her eyes.

"Yea, but since they're free now so we can-"

 ** **BOOM!****

The two trainers then heard another explosion from inside the cabin. "What was-" "Ash look, more are coming out." Twilight said pointing at the last group of pokemon jumping from the window.

"They must have had some trouble trying to get out." Ash theorized.

"Hunter J and that other guy?" Twilight asked.

"That would be my guess, but they all got out safely meaning we should get out of here and call for Officer Jenny." Ash said. Twilight nodded and and the two, along with Marill and Pikachu, began to run back to find help, but as they did…

 ** **DEW!****

Ash and Twilight both turned back around to the cabin.

"The Budew! It's still in there!" Twilight said in a worried tone.

"That means we're not done here just yet." Ash replied.

"Pika/Mar." Pikachu and Marill said with a nod. They soon ran back over to the cabin, only to see Hunter J and Drapion walk out with a beaten up Budew in tow.

"Don't know what that Pokemon is, and right now, I don't really care." Ash said to himself. J looked at the trainers through her visor.

"I'm surprised you both are still here. Since I'm feeling generous, and don't feel like wasting anymore of my precious time, I'll say this only once. Get out of my sight or else." She demanded coldly.

"You call that generosity, I've seen more of that from an ex-friend of mine!" Twilight said angrily.

"Maybe it's you who needs to get lost. And while you're at it, drop the Budew." Ash said. Pikachu and Marill got in front of their trainers ready to fight once again. Budew saw the determination in the eyes of both trainers and their Pokemon.

"Wow, they're doing all this for me. But...why?" She thought, still in pain and on the verge of losing consciousness. J then growled in annoyance.

"Fine then, Drapion use Cross Poison!" She commanded. Drapion then crossed its arms to create another purple 'X' and fired it at Pikachu and Marill.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash Commanded. "PIKA-CHUU!" Pikachu cried, releasing a bolt of electricity from his cheeks. The two attacks collided and surprisingly Pikachu's Thunderbolt over powered the Cross Poison and shocked Drapion.

"DRAP!" Drapion screamed in pain. Budew felt the shock as well, but her being a grass type, which resisted electric attacks, she didn't feel it too much.

"Pikachu use Quick Attack and free Budew!

"Marill, back Pikachu up with Rollout!" Twilight called, trying to take example from Ash. Both Pokemon took off using their respective attacks and headed straight for Drapion.

"Oh no you don't, Drapion use Night Slash!" J Commanded. Drapion raised one of his claws in the air, but that's as far as he got before being hit with Pikachu's Quick Attack. Marill then came from behind Pikachu and hit Drapion on it's neck.

"DRAP!" Drapion yelled, unintentionally loosening his grip on Budew causing her to fall.

"Pikachu, grab Budew with Quick attack!" Ash commanded. Pikachu didn't hesitate and caught Budew mid air on his back.

" _You ok_?" Pikachu asked the grass type. Budew weakly nodded. " _Good_." With that Pikachu ran back over to Ash and Twilight with Budew on his back and Marill following behind. J balled her hand into a fist.

"I've had enough! I refuse to let two kids get in my way! PIN MISSILE!" She yelled. Drapion got back up, thrusts its claws forward and shots multiple white streams of pins at Pikachu, Marill and Budew.

"Marill, Bubblebeam!" Twilight commanded. Marill quickly turned to the oncoming Pin Missle and fired a flurry of bubbles back at them. The attacks collided creating a thick layer of smoke. Ash and Twilight waited for their Pokemon to come out of the smoke.

"You think they're-" "Give it a second." Ash said cutting Twilight off. After a few seconds, Pikachu, Marill and Budew all came out of the smoke. Twilight just smiled back picked up her partner.

"You good Mary?" She asked.

"Mar Mar." Marill said with a nod. Ash kneeled down to his partner and Budew.

"Good job ok Budew?" He asked the grass type. Budew was hesitant, but she gave a slight nod.

"Good. Come on everyone, let's get out of here before the smoke clears." Ash said picking up Pikachu and putting him on his shoulder.

Twilight did the same with Marill and reached for Budew who flinched. Twilight saw this and put a hand out.

"Budew I promise, I won't hurt you and I won't let that Hunter J get you either." Twilight said with a small smile. Budew looked at Twilight for a few seconds.

"She and her friends seem nice but-"

"It's ok." Budew looked over to Marill who also had a smile on her face.

" _Twilight is the the nicest person I've ever met, so please,_ _ **please**_ _have faith in her...and in me."_ Marill said. The warm voice echoed in her head again, causing Budew to close her eyes for a brief moment. Budew then looked back to Twilight with her arm still extended.

"Dew Budew." Budew said before jumping into Twilight's arms.

"Thank you. Now let's get out of here." Twilight said. Ash nodded and the two trainers ran into the forest as fast as they could. Once the smoke cleared, J looked around saw the two trainers gone.

"Dammit. There goes my money." J said gritting her teeth. She then returned Drapion to its pokeball and called out Salamence.

"I don't know why, but I feel like those kids are going to be a major pain in my side in the near future." She said before getting onto Salamence and flying off.

 _With Twilight and Ash_

Ash and Twilight both ran back to the path they were walking on before all the craziness happened and headed for the Pokemon Center.

"How much farther?" Twilight asked. Ash took out his Pokedex and went to the map setting.

"Thank goodness. The center is right up ahead." Ash said with a smile. Twilight smiled back and looked to Budew.

"Everything's going to be alright." She said. Budew looked at Twilight and gave her a small smile as well.

"Dew." She said with a nod. Upon arriving at the center, Ash and Twilight walked up to the front desk to see Nurse Joy waiting.

"Welcome to my Pokemon Center, how can I help you?" She asked in a cheerful tone. Twilight raised an eyebrow at the nurse.

"Hold on, didn't we just see you in Oldale Town. How did you beat us here?" She asked. The nurse gave Twilight a confused look.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I don't know what you're talking about." The nurse replied.

"What do you mean, we just saw you a few hours ago." Twilight said.

"Wait, you said Oldale Town right? You must be talking about my older sister." Nurse Joy said.

"Older sister?" Twilight asked. Ash then took out his Pokedex again and brought up a picture on it.

"Here Twi look." Ash said giving his dex to her. Twilight looked at the picture and was shocked, the picture showed about 13 Nurse Joys.

"Wait….what!?" Twilight asked still confused.

"Mar Mar?" Marill asked equally confused.

"You see, they're all twin sisters. Every last one. You get used to it." Ash explained. Marill and Twilight were looking at the picture still not believing what they were seeing. Ash shook his head and took his Dex back.

"I know you have questions about that, but I think we have more pressing matters." Ash said. Twilight quickly got over her shock and nodded.

"Nurse Joy, please, this Budew and our other Pokemon need help." She said.

"Of course. Put them on the cart here and I'll take good care of them." Nurse Joy said. Ash and Twilight nodded and placed Pikachu, Marill and Budew on the cart. Budew looked a bit worried, she had never been in a center before so she didn't know what was coming. Twilight saw the worried look on Budew's face.

"Budew, don't worry, me and Ash will be right here when you come out and Pikachu and Marill will watch out for you." Twilight said. Ash nodded in agreement. Budew then looked to Pikachu and Marill who gave her a smile.

"Budew." she said with a nod. With that, Nurse Joy took the three Pokemon into the back of the center.

"Budew really seems to trust you now, Twi." Ash said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yea, maybe" Twilight said before working over to one of the center chairs and sat down.

She wasn't positive, but there was something about the way Budew acted that led her to believe their was something holding Budew back. She didn't know what is was, but she certainly wanted to find out. Ash sat down next to her.

"You ok Twi?" he asked. Twilight took a deep breath and looked at Ash.

"I made a very important discovery today." She said in a serious tone.

"And what would that be?' Ash asked.

"Humans are jerks. No offense." She said bluntly. Ash looked at her for a few seconds before smiling at her.

"None taken, I can see why you'd say that. It's only been a few days since you got here and we've only gotten into trouble." He said scratching the back of his head. Twilight looked down.

"Back in Equestria, we never had to deal with poachers or crime organizations or any of this really. So, this is just...a lot to take in." She said. Ash then put an arm around her.

"Hey, not everything about this world is trouble. There are so many amazing people and Pokemon in this world. Trust me I know." Ash said with a smile. Twilight wanted to believe him, but with all that happened in the last few days it was hard to.

"Also, weren't you telling me about chaos gods and ponies that move the moon or something like that?" He said with weird tone. Twilight looked up, seeming slightly guilty.

"Ok, that's different." she said defensively.

"Yeah, really different. And a lot crazier than what we've been through. That sounds like something out of a fairy tale or something. Really, your whole world and life just seem like a fantasy to me." Ash said, looking out the window, trying to imagine the world that Twilight had described.

"..."

"Oh, no offense" Ash said, holding up his hands in defense.

"None taken, it's just...when something happens back in my world, my...my friends and I worked together to stop it. And looking back on it now...a lot of it was nonsense." Twilight said, looking down at the table.

"Nonsense?" Ash asked.

"What does that mean?"

"I mean, obviously there were stakes, but the first big event that happened after I moved to Ponyville was eternal night, which, yeah, can have some negative effects, but it isn't the end of the world. And to stop her, all we did was calm down a manticore, fix a bridge, help a sea serpent, and used the Elements of Harmony. A child could have done that, Ash." Twilight said looking up again, her tone rather crass.

"Twi, you're really selling yourself short." Ash said, putting a hand on Twilight's own hand which was resting on the table.

"But I'm not. It was all a bunch of childish nonsense. All the 'god of chaos' did was make soap roads and chocolate rain. And once again, the Elements did all the work for us. I was ready to give up Ash, throw in the towel, before Celestia sent me my old letters and showed me that friends are the greatest power of all, but now...now my friends aren't here." Twilight continued. Ash just looked at Twilight while she lamented. "They left me...And I left them. My friends, my brother, my mentor, my parents, *sigh* my parents. They must be worried sick. They didn't even do anything and I just left them without saying a word. I...You were right about it being a fantasy world. I never realized how much I was taking for granted until I realised how crazy and dangerous this world is. But I couldn't even live in my world right. Those victories were only possible cause my friends were there with me. And now my friends are gone."

"..."

"..."

"That's not true."

"Huh?" Twilight said, looking up to see Ash, who had broken the silence, smiling at her.

"We're friends, right. Me and Pikachu consider you a friend. And I think Marill would say the same." Ash said, trying to get through to Twi

"I…"

"Like I said, whether or not coming here was a mistake is up to you. It's all about what you do while you're here. And Budew is safe because of you. Don't carry the weight of the world, my world and yours, on your shoulders. Your world is crazy, and I can't begin to imagine how beautiful and nice it is there, as well as how weird and…possibly dangerous it is there. But this world, while it does have terrible people with selfish and immoral agendas, there is love and beauty here to. I'm sorry you have seen so much...hate in these first couple of days, but don't let that drag you down. You're the kind of person who...who brings the best out of people. I feel like that's a good skill to have. So don't lose hope so easily. You do have friends to see this through, and I believe that you can break through this initial rough patch and see what this world has to offer."

"Ash, I….Thank you. I'll try...Humans are still crappy though." Twilight said with rejuvenated smile and snicker.

"Yeah well, no one's perfect.

"Yeah...nopony is perfect."

"Plus you also have Marill by your side, she really brings out the best in you as well." Ash couldn't help but close her eyes, nod, and smile. Twilight knew Ash was right, ever since she met the blue mouse she had felt calm and safe.

"Yea I guess you're right about that." She said.

"Atta girl, come on let's get something in our stomachs. After a day like this, I'm sure you're starving." Ash said before standing up.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." Both trainers then walked to the cafeteria for a well deserved meal.

 _Timeskip_

After a nice home cooked meal, Ash and Twilight rented a room for the night and waited for their names to be called from the lobby. Ash was sitting on his bed writing in what looked like and old journal while Twilight was taking a shower.

" _Twilight's right, ever since she got here she's only been in danger_." Ash thought to himself before closing his journal and putting his head on his pillow. " _I have to show her that this world can be fun to. But how_?" He continued thinking. He then looked over to see a small pamphlet on the the desk next to him and grabbed it.

" _Petalburg Battle Resort_?" He asked before opening it. Ash looked through the pamphlet and began to smile. " _Hmmm, I'll hold on to this for later_." He said putting the pamphlet in his backpack. Just then Twilight came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head.

"Ahhhhhh, that felt great." She said before falling onto her bed.

"Someone's feeling better." Ash said with a smile.

"Yea, I guess. A good shower always makes me feel good, but oh my stars, the showers here are so...so….*siiiiiiiigh*" Twilight said stretching a bit, a satisfying sigh escaping her.

"I can understand that." Ash said with a nod.

 ** **Will Ash Ketchum and Twilight Sparkle please report to the Center Lobby, your pokemon are ready for pick up.****

"Awesome, you dry off your hair and I'll get the others." Ash said getting up. Twilight nodded to him and Ash left the room. Ash soon made it to the lobby and was greeted by his little yellow pal.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu said jumping from the lobby desk onto his trainer's shoulder.

"Hey buddy, How ya feeling?" Ash asked.

"Pika." Pikachu said nuzzling Ash. "Marill!" Marill said jumping into Ash's arms.

"Nice to see you to Marill." Ash said petting her head. Ash then looked to Budew who still felt a bit out of place, signified by her standing off to side, watching the three of them interact.

"Come on Budew, time to go see Twilight." Ash said, holding out a hand with a smile on his face. Budew remembered Twilight doing to the same thing earlier, making her feel slightly better.

"Dew Budew?" Budew asked Marill and Pikachu.

"Pika Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu said with nod.

"Marill Mar." Marill said also nodding. Budew looked down for a few seconds before looked back at Ash who was still smiling.

"Dew." She said jumping into Ash's arm.

"There, see? You can trust me." Ash said. Budew hesitated for a second, but she gave him a nod. With that, the group made their way back to the room. Ash slided his card key into the lock and opened the door to the room before walking in.

"We're back." He said. Twilight looked up from her book and smiled.

"Welcome back!" She said. Marill jumped out of Ash's arms and went straight into Twilight's.

"Mary, you feeling ok?" Twilight asked hugging her partner.

"Mar Mar." Marill said with a nod.

"Good." Twilight then looked to Budew who was still in Ash's arms.

"What about you Budew? You ok?" She asked the small grass type. Budew looked back at her and nodded a bit. Twilight then walked over to Budew and took her into her arms.

"No need to be so shy around us, we're not like that poacher or that Hunter J. We just want to make sure you're comfortable and safe." She said comfortingly.

Budew looked at Twilight with wide eyes, she never met a human that was this caring for someone they just met. In fact, she had never met a human so caring period. Ash then let out a yawn and stretched a bit.

"Ok, I don't know about you guys, but I'm heading to off to dreamland." Ash said walking over to his bed with Pikachu. Twi also yawned and walked towards her bed.

"I'm with ya." She said before laying down on her bed with Marill and Budew.

"Alright, night Twi." Ash said drifting off.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said.

"Good night, Ash." Twilight said before looking at Marill and Budew. "Goodnight you two, sweet dreams." Twilight said with a smile.

"Mar." Marill said nuzzling Twilight. Budew didn't know why, but for the first time in a long time she felt safe and cared for.

"Dew." Budew said softly before drifting off.

 _The next day_

Ash, Twilight and their Pokemon were in the center's cafeteria finishing breakfast.

"Sweet Arceus, I'm stuffed." Ash said patting his stomach.

"I'm not surprised, you had seconds and thirds." Twilight said with a chuckle.

"Looks who's talking Miss 'three plates of french toast'." Ash said with a smirk. Twilight blushed in embarrassment and looked away.

"I like french toast." She said with a small pout.

"Obviously." Ash said with a snicker. Pikachu and Marill were listening to the conversation and laughing.

" _These two are a riot together_!" Pikachu said with a chuckle.

" _I know right!"_ Marill agreed. Budew just watched the two trainers and Pokemon bantering and having fun.

" _Is this something that usually happens_?" Budew asked. Pikachu and Marill looked to Budew and smiled.

" _Pretty much, Ash has always been known to tease his traveling partners_." Pikachu said.

" _I may not have known Twilight for too long, but she seems to know how to take a joke….to a certain extent_." Marill said remembering Ash and Twilight's argument a few days ago. Budew thought about what the two mouses said and then looked to Twilight who was still pouting. Budew then spoke up again.

" _Marill, do you trust this girl_?" She asked, slightly louder than her earlier question. Pikachu and Marill looked at one another and then looked back to Budew.

" _Of course, she's nice, brave, smart, and funny. I couldn't ask for a better trainer, if you can believe it_." Maill said with a smile. Budew then took a deep breath and smiled back at her.

" _That's all I needed to hear_." She said before walking past the two mouse Pokemon, who now had confused looks on their faces. Budew then jumped onto Twilight's lap without warning.

"WHOA! Oh, Budew, it's you. Is something wrong?" Twilight asked. Budew shook her head.

"Dew Budew." Budew said smiling at Twilight. Marill and Pikachu looked at Budew in shock.

" _Did she just-" "Yea she did_." Pikachu said cutting Marill off. Twilight looked at Budew with a raised eyebrow, but she felt, no, she knew what the small grass type was saying.

"Are asking to come along with me?' Twilight asked.

"Budew!" Budew said Cheerfully.

"Wow, looks like she likes you more than I thought." Ash said smiling.

Twilight stared at the Budew, but the Budew she saw yesterday wasn't the same one she saw standing before her now. Something, the thing Twilight noticed and found odd about Budew wasn't there anymore. Or rather, something that wasn't there had been added. Trust. Budew smiled with confidence, like she was never more sure of anything in her life. She wasn't sure what changed, or why Budew trusted her now, but that wasn't what concerned Twilight at the moment. Twilight looked at Budew, remembering what she had told the Magby.

" _I need to be someone who deserves to travel with you, not just strong enough to catch you_." Her own words echoed inside her head.

"Do I really deserve…After what I….No, that's not important anymore." She then reached into her bag and pulled out a Pokeball and expanded it.

"Are you sure about this Budew?" Twilight asked, holding out the pokeball. Budew didn't say anything, just tapped the center of the ball. The ball opened and Budew's body then turned entirely red, becoming some kind of energy, before returning back to the center of the ball. The ball quickly snapped shut and began to shake in Twilight's hand. Twilight and Ash watched the ball shaking, and after a few seconds…

 ** **Click!****

The ball stopped shaking and made a small sound signaling Budew's capture. Twilight then looked to Ash.

"Is she-" "Yup, once you hear that click she's yours." Ash said with a smile. Twilight then looked to the pokeball and a smile slowly crept onto her face.

"Mary, we have a new teammate….and a new friend." She said happily. Marill and Pikachu both cheered for the Equestria girl.

"A new addition to the family." Ash said.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu said. Twilight nodded.

"My new family, Come on out Budew." She said throwing up the pokeball. The ball soon opened and Budew was released.

"Budew." Budew said before landing in Twilight's arms.

"You, me and Mary are going to have an amazing time together." Twilight said hugging her new pokemon.

"Budew Dew." Budew said nuzzling Twilight. Budew then jumped off of Twilight's shoulder and was quickly faced by Pikachu and Marill .

" _Wow, this is great! I've never had a teammate before! It's so great to meet you_!" Marill said, jumping up and down briefly before looking at at Budew. She was looking down, a small, but noticeable grin on her face.

" _A trainer...heh…I have a trainer. Didn't see that one coming when I woke up yesterday_." Budew said under her breath, loud enough to be heard by Pikachu and Marill still though.

" _Budew, are you ok_?" Pikachu asked, taking a cautionary step forward. Marill just looked curiously at her new teammate, slightly concerned.

"I can't really say for certain yet. But I made a promise a long time ago to not give up on anyone." Budew said, finally looking up. She didn't really mean to start talking about this, but it was out there, so she might as well keep going. " _I guess I just forgot to give humans a shot to for awhile_." She said, a larger smile now plastered on her face. " _So I'm gonna do my best! No more running away. It's time to grow up! So in short_ …" she continued, walking up to Marill and Pikachu. " _Its nice to meet you to_." She finished. And while she may have looked confident from afar, up close both Marill and Pikachu could see she was clearly nervous, cheeks puffed and sweat rolling down her head. While Pikachu just stood there and smiled, Marill ran up and hugged Budew, picking her up and swinging her back and forth.

" _Oh my gosh, you are adorable!"_ Marill said as she hugged her new teammate relentlessly.

" _Ok!...I got it!...Message received!...Can't….Breath!"_ Budew struggled as Marill was too caught up in the moment. Pikachu just stood back, nervously looking at the scene unfold.

"I _should probably do something, huh?"_ he said to no one in particular. Ash and Twilight watched their pokemon getting along.

"Budew's going to fit in just fine in this little group of ours." Ash said with a chuckle.

"I know, she seems sweet and I'm glad she's going to be joining us, I just wonder what cause her to change her mind." Twilight said giggling a bit.

"Speaking of which it's 10:30, we should get a move on. Petalburg City is about a 3 hour walk from here." Ash said standing up from his seat. Twilight nodded and got up as well.

"You're right, we should get going." She said. With that, the two trainers and their Pokemon began walking out of the Cafeteria and into the lobby.

"After Petalburg, what's next?" Twilight asked. Ash then took out his Pokedex and opened the map setting.

"Well, the professor told us that we needed 4 badges to challenge the Petalburg Gym, so the our first gym battle will be in Rustboro City." Ash explained.

"How long, till we get there?" Twilight asked. "Walking….about four days-" "Four days!" Twilight exclaimed "I just learned how to use these…" she said, gesturing toward her legs. "...and now we have to walk for four days straight?!" Twilight just looked at Ash like he had two heads, shocked that they would be forced to walk that far. Ash, in response, just sort of shrugged after the initial shock of Twilight's interruption.

"Well, yeah. After the city, we have to cut through Petalburg Woods and Route 104, and since their isn't a Pokemon Center between Petalburg and Rustboro according to the map, we'll have to camp out a few nights." Ash said. Twilight, who just let out a loud sigh, looked back up with an expression that was both excited and worried.

"That'll be interesting. I've never been camping before." She said.

"Really, never?" Ash asked, honestly shocked.

"Nope, never was that social for those kinds of things." Twilight explained. Ash nodded in understanding. The two trainers then made their way to the center entrance.

"Alright, from here on out, let's try and have a good time, for all of our sakes." Ash declared.

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu said. Marill also cheered with Budew following suit. Twilight couldn't help but laugh at her friends.

"Yea, let's try and have some actual fun." Twilight said with a nod. Everyone nodded back to her and got ready to exit the Center only for Ash to bump into someone, who had just walked through the automatic door, not paying attention as they were looking at the entryway itself. They both collided, before being knocked over, landing on the ground.

"Ouch! Oh, sorry about that." Ash said, pulling himself off the ground as Twilight helped him up, not paying particular attention to the other person.

"Oh...it's fine. Don't worry about it." The person politely answered. Twilight eyes widened as she heard the person's voice. She then looked up to see a young man with dark blue hair, sky blue eyes and cream colored skin. He was wearing a short sleeve dress shirt with a dark blue vest over it, white dress pants, a pair of black shoes and he was wearing a black fedora. Twilight began shaking and the color drained from her face, letting go of Ash, causing him to drop back onto the ground.

"Ooooooow."

The young man looked to the girl and his eyes widened. "Twily?" He asked.

Twilight fell onto the ground and just stared at the young man. Ash, Pikachu, Marill and Budew all wondered who the man was, how he knew Twilight and why said Twilight was looking like she was going to have a nervous breakdown.

"Shining Armor, what's wrong?" A voice said coming from behind the man. Twilight hand was on the ground and she began to slowly ball it into a fist. Soon, nine people walked in through the automatic door, and immediately, they looked at Twilight and Ash, but mostly Twilight, wide eyed.

"We found her!" A girl with puffy pink hair said quickly with a smile.

Twilight's eyes were covered by her hat so no one could see her face.

"Twilight darling, is that really you?" A girl with flowing purple hair asked.

Twilight continued to shake but it wasn't like before, and Ash saw this.

"Took three hours but we _fiiiiiiiiinally_ found you…..Who's this guy...it is a guy right?" The one with bright, rainbow-colored hair chimed in.

Twilight then gritted her teeth.

"Twilight we were so worried about you." The girl with pale pink hair said softly, constantly looking around her in both wonder and trepidation.

Ash, who was more than a little confused at who these strangers were and how they knew Twilight, still kept looking at Twilight and saw a few tears leaving her eyes.

"She's right Twi, we were worried sick after the stunt you pulled." The blond girl said in a southern accent. Twilight then began growling and Ash surprisingly caught on to what was going on while the Pokemon were somewhat clueless.

" _Oh no, are they_.." Ash thought, getting worried.

"Twilight, I'm so glad you're safe." A tall woman also with multi-colored hair and a soothing voice said warmly. Despite her motherly tone, That sentence pushed Twilight to her breaking point and she quickly stood up, hat still covering most of her face.

"Go away." She said quietly but with venom in her voice. Shining, who was still shocked to be seeing his sister like this, was brought back to reality with those, two, sharp words.

"Twily, what do you-"

"I SAID GO AWAY!"

 _Narrator: Even after finally declaring a fun adventure, Ash and Twilight find themselves in another dilemma and it's Twilight past. How will this confrontation affect our heroes journey, find out next time._

 ** **TO BE CONTINUED...****


	8. Chapter 8

_Location: Canterlot Castle, 2 days after Twilight left._

After two days, the wedding preparations had progressed smoothly since Twilight left for the Hoenn Region. Strangely enough, everypony hadn't really noticed her abrupt absence, since rumors and gossip had been floating around about her exclusion from the ceremonies. She clearly isn't wanted here, so who cares where she is now. Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, and the rest of the all painfully aware of the groom's sister would not be in attendance, and even still, as the girls were helping Rarity with last minute preparations in the main room, lining chairs and and such, there was a dreadful silence in the air, the ponies sharing quick glances at each other while they worked. The wedding had continued to go as planned with the ceremony being held this afternoon at 3. The Mane 5 were still all but ecstatic that the wedding was so close, but there was still that awkwardness that resonated throughout the room, like everypony knew what the other was thinking but, nopony wanted to talk about it. Rarity looked around, tightening a ribbon bow that was tied to a pillar, and decided she would be the proverbial pic to break the ice.

"Oh, just four more hours and the best wedding of the century will start!" Rarity said, everypony turning to her, since the silence had been grading on them for awhile.

"I know right, I can't wait for the after party! I got DJ Pon-3 to play for us, it's going to be great!" Pinkie said appearing behind Rarity with a large smile, causing the seamstress the jump. It appeared that enthusiasm for the wedding hadn't dwindled too much, despite their friends disappearance, especially in Pinkie's case.. Applejack nodded with a new smile before turning to Fluttershy, glad that the room's mood had been lifted.

"It's going to be something alright." Applejack said.

"I just hope my birds do their best, I'd hate for one of them to be off key again." Fluttershy added quietly.

"Don't worry about it Shy, nopony will will even worry about the music after my Sonic Rainboom." Rainbow said in a cocky tone. The girls all rolled their eyes, except Fluttershy, who had a small grin on her face, odd considering the lack of tact in Dash's statement. Everypony went back to that they were doing, another moment of silence passed, the smiles beginning to slowly fade into the monotony of their work, before one Fluttershy spoke up.

"Umm...girls don't you think-" "Don't even ask Shy." Rainbow said cutting Fluttershy off quickly, not turning to face the pegasus, and with an annoyed expression. "Nopony wants to hear it."

"But-" "We've been over this Fluttershy, Twilight went too far with what she did and now she has to deal with the consequences." Applejack said in a stern tone, looking at Fluttershy with confidence

"Agreed, she was being too overprotective of her brother and she made Princess Cadenza cry. As far as I'm concerned, she isn't in the position to feel entitled to come ." Rarity said.

"Seriously, accusing her of being evil over and over and over again and having her run out of the rehearsal was _really_ uncool." Rainbow said crossing her hooves. Pinkie and Fluttershy both looked at each other and looked down.

"I guess you're right she was being...pretty unreasonable...but." Fluttershy said quietly.

"And a party pooper." Pinkie interrupted, still a little unsure as well. Fluttershy looked down, not sure how to continue.

"Exactly, so I say leave her to think about what she's done. Maybe this will teach her not to overthink things in the future." Applejack said with a confident nod. Rainbow and Rarity nodded their heads as well, looking at each other with, before turning to continue their tasks. Fluttershy sighed, and nodded to herself, and her and Pinkie also went to doing what they were doing, unaware that a certain Alpha pokemon was watching them all from a golden portal from the distance.

"Unbelievable." Arceus said in a disappointed tone, with stern glance. "How could the Elements have chosen such ignorant and distrusting ponies to protect Equestria. I'd sooner choose that Giovanni then these five to protect my world." Arceus said angrily.

Pokemon Advanced

Arceus closed the portal showing the Mane 5 and took a deep breath.

"This can't go on much longer, I have to warn Celestia." Arceus said. He then opened another portal showing Celestia standing outside on her balcony. The sun shone before the princess, it almost being the time for her to begin the suns decline into the horizon. She looked deep in thought, something clearly teetering on her mind. Before Arceus stepped through the portal, Celestia began to talk to herself, slowly, and methodically..

"Maybe...I was a bit tough on her, but she was being so paranoid about Cadance." Celestia then sighed. She looked up, slightly more boldfaced.

"I know she's my student and I think of her almost like a daughter, but she needs to learn her lesson this time, on her own" She said before turning around, and by the time she did the golden portal had already closed. Arceus had heard all he needed and was borderline pissed at this point.

"I ought to give her a good Dragon Pulse to the face for that." He said angrily.

"I should just leave them all to their fate…. but I'm not the ruler I once was." Arceus said to himself, turning somber as he remembered the way he was long ago. "Seeing as how I'd end up attacking them out of anger if I meet them, I should focus on another matter." Arceus opened another portal revealing 'Cadance' getting ready for her big day.

"I know what you are, all I have to know is where she's hidden the real Princess Cadance." He then stared at 'Cadance' as his eye began to glow red.

"Mind Reader!" Arceus said. Arceus was now seeing what was going on in the 'Cadence's' mind. His vision was intruded by a quick flash, and as the blinding effect faded, he soon found himself in the room 'Cadence' was in, only this time he was alone. The room seemed cleaner to, any clutter or mess, like the room had just been tidied.

" _Why am I here?_ " Arceus asked himself in his head. He then heard the door open and saw Cadence walking in with a smile on her face. " _Hmmmm….Is….is this Cadence real?"_ Arceus asked. Cadence then laid down on her bed and she pulled her pillow over her face before squealing into it.

"HE PROPOSED! HE PROPOSED HE PROPOSED!" She yelled in pure joy. If Arceus could he would be giving the young princess an amused look. It was raw emotion, the kind nearly impossible to fake, which was recognized wholy by Arceus.

" _Yup, that's Cadance alright."_ Arceus said, but something was off. " _Hold on, That's the real Cadance! So was this whole thing really a misunderstanding?"_ Arceus said in a worried tone, wondering if Twilight was overreacting after all in the very back of his mind .Cadence then pulled the pillow off her and began giggling. "I can't believe this is happening, I truly can't believe this is happening! This is the Best. Day. EVER!" She said happily. Arceus genuinely thought that he had entered the young Alicorns mind, and this made him even more worried about his potential mishap, which seemed impossible, seeing as how he had never been wrong about this kind of thing before.

" _I think I may have-" "_ Oh I can't believe it either, congratulations Princess Cadenza." Arceus and Cadence turned to the balcony and there, a large black pony with insect wings, holes in her hooves and a misshapen horn stood. Arceus stared at the creature in shock.

" _So this is the mind of the fake and this is her true form_." Arceus said relieved that the fake Cadance was real. Cadance quickly got off her bed and got into a defensive position.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" Cadance asked.

"I am Queen Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings and how I got in here is none of your concern, but why I'm here is." The Changeling Queen said with a devious smile on her face. Cadance took a step back, but kept her guard up. Arceus continued to watch the scene unfold already knowing what was going to happen.

"Why?" Cadance asked. "I've had my eye on you for a while now and when I saw that the Princess of Love had fallen in love with the captain of the royal guard I was so shocked." The queen said. Arceus glared at Changeling Queen.

" _Just like a Changeling to prey on young lovers."_ He said.

"It was then I knew I had to have the love you both had for each other….for myself!" Chrysalis said before firing a green laser at Cadance. Cadance quickly put up a light blue defense shield only for it to be shattered in a matter of seconds. Arceus wanted to help her, but quickly remembered that this was nothing more than a memory. Cadance was soon blasted across the room before hitting the wall and groaning in pain.

"That's gonna hurt tomorrow." Cadance said struggling to stand up.

"You won't have to worry about that deary." Cadance looked up to see the Changeling Queen slowly walking up to her. "Because you won't be here to see tomorrow." Chrysalis said before shapeshifting into Cadance. Cadance's eyes widened and she began to sweat.

"Y..You can't-" "Yes I can!" Chrysalis said stomping Cadance's face knocking her out. Arceus's anger was about to boil over as he watched the changeling laughing at the unconscious alicorn.

" _I Swear, this insect will pay!"_ He said. Chrysalis then surrounds herself and Cadance in a shield made of green flames and began to phase through the floor. Arceus followed the two until they got to a cavern underneath the castle. Chrysalis began to chuckle.

"I hope you'll be comfortable down here Princess Cadenza because you won't be leaving anytime soon." She said before teleporting back up to the castle. The world around Arceus went black and he found himself back in the present day. Arceus shook his head and looked at 'Cadance' still getting ready.

"I see, so that's what you did to the real Cadance." He said with a slight growl. "I must find her before the wedding." Arceus said before closing the portal in front of him. "I do remember Celestia telling me about a maze of tunnels underneath the castle for prisoners, but I thought she was just kidding. I obviously can't ask Tia to help me find Cadance, she'll think I'm as crazy as she thinks Twilight is." Arceus then then began to think before an idea came into his head. "But I know someone who might." Arceus then opened another portal to reveal a certain dark blue Alicorn looking through a telescope on her balcony.

"Nothing out of the ordinary so far and the wedding is in 3 hours. Whoever made this threat against our home must have reconsidered." Luna said in a confident tone.

"On the contrary old friend, the threat to your home has already infiltrated the castle." Luna turned around to see Arceus walking out of the golden portal.

"Lord Arceus!" Luna said before bowing to the Alpha pokemon.

"Rise up Luna, no need to bow to an old friend." Arceus said with a chuckle. Luna stood back up and hugged Arceus who hugged her back.

"It's been so long Arceus, how have you been? Last time I saw you, was when we defeated Tirek and we haven't heard from you since." Luna said with a smile.

"I'm sorry Luna, I've been very busy. My world has been in constant chaos lately and I've been watching over a certain someone as well." Arceus explained.

"I understand, I'm guessing you're here for the wedding?" Luna asked. Arceus's expression turned serious and Luna saw this.

"Judging by the look on your face, I'm also guessing you heard about the threat?" She asked.

"Yes and I know who's behind it." Arceus said. Luna's eyes widened.

"You do, who is it and what are they planning?" Luna asked wanting answers.

"Before I answer, let me asked you, have you noticed anything strange about Cadance lately?" Arceus asked. Luna raised an eyebrow at the question.

"Not really, although she has been a bit too demanding when it came to preparing the wedding and she's been acting like…..like… Blueblood." Just saying that gave Luna a chill up her spine. Arceus was happy that Luna noticed Cadance's changes.

"I'm glad you notice, the Cadance in the castle right now is an imposter." Arceus said. Luna looked the the Alpha pokemon with a shocked look on her face. "She's ponynapped the real Cadance and left her for dead in the maze underneath the castle." Arceus said explained. Luna's face turned right from shocked to anger.

"Thank you for the information Lord Arceus, I have to tell my sister and Bearers of Harmony right away." Luna said walking off only to be stopped by Arceus.

"I wouldn't recommend that Luna, unless you also wish to be cast out of the wedding along with young Twilight." Arceus said in a soft tone. Luna looked at the Alpha pokemon with a confused look on her face.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked. Arceus took a deep breath and told Luna about the events that transpired a two days ago. Once Arceus was done explaining, Luna had a look of shock and disgust on her face.

"What! In! **FAUST'S NAME IS WRONG WITH OUR SISTER AND THOSE PEASANTS! THEY SHALL FEEL OUR WRATH ONCE WE GET AHOLD OF THEM!** " Luna yelled in the Royal Canterlot Voice. Arceus stared at Luna and took a small step back.

" _I've forgotten how scary she can be when she's angry."_ He thought.

" **FIRST WE TAKE CARE OF THE IMPOSTER, THEN WE ARE GOING TO GIVE OUR SISTER, SHINING ARMOR AND LADY SPARKLE'S 'FRIENDS' A PIECE OF OUR MIND!** " Luna yelled before spreading her wings and taking off. Arceus flew after her and quickly got in front of her.

"Luna believe me when I say, I want nothing more than to stop the Changeling and put Celestia, Twilight's brother and her 'friends' in their place, but right now we have other priorities. We have to find Cadance, you're the only other pony I know other than Celestia that possibly knows how to navigate through the maze. Will you please guide me through?" Arceus asked. Luna's anger was calmed slightly and she nodded.

"Of course, saving Cadance is our first priority. Come with me, the entrance to the maze is in a secret passage in the throne room." Luna said flying past Arceus who followed behind her.

 _Location: Throne Room_

Luna and Arceus arrived in the Throne room and walked over to one of the stain glass windows that had Discord on it.

"It's right here." Luna said before she put her hoof on the wall and once she did a secret entrance opened under the window.

"How did I not know about this?" Arceus asked.

"Well, me and Tia have our secrets too." Luna said entering the chamber. Arceus shook his head and followed the Alicorn. The two descended down a flight of stairs until they came to the maze.

"This maze is huge, you really sent prisoners into this place?" Arceus asked.

"Yes, but Tia told me she doesn't use it anymore." Luna explained.

"I can understand why, if I was trapped in here even for a day I'd probably go mad." Arceus said.

"Let's just hope Cadance hasn't descended into that state." Luna said in a worried tone.

"Have some faith Luna." Arceus said. Luna nodded.

"Alright, we better get started. Cadance has to be in here somewhere. Which way should we go?" Arceus asked.

"We should take a left here, there's a pit hole filled with spikes if we go right." Luna said turning left. Arceus looked at old friend with a shocked look on his face.

"Why would you-" "It was Tia's idea, she was a bit….devious back in the day." Luna said with a sheepish smile. Arceus made a note of that for later, but right now he had to focus.

"So tell me Lord Arceus, what have you been up too these last few centuries?" Luna asked.

"Keeping my world from falling apart for starters. That's mostly been the reason I've been gone so long." Arceus said with a chuckle.

"I can understand that, I've always wanted to see your world. You've told us all about it and the creatures that you rule over. The humans and the Pokemon, is that right?" Luna asked.

"That is correct, my world in magnificent, it does have its flaws." Arceus said in a somber tone.

"What do you mean? Luna asked.

"We had a war over one hundred years ago, A man made pokemon clone tried to take over my world and a human tried to throw off the balance of my world by capturing three powerful bird pokemon." Arceus explained. Luna stopped walking and looked at the Alpha pokemon with a shocked expression on her face.

"So yea, my world isn't perfect. It's better now though, the Humans and pokemon are living and working together in peace." Arceus said reassuring the alicorn. Luna nodded and continued to walking.

"That's good, i don't know what me and my sister would do if Equestria had a war that long…..actually I don't know what we would do if a war happened at all." Luna said looking down.

"Hopefully you'll never get to there." Arceus said. After about 30 minutes of walking, the two had come up with nothing.

"Ugh this is getting irritating, How could we not have found her yet?" Arceus asked.

"I don't know, we've been through half of the maze. I doesn't make any sense." Luna said putting a hoof on her head. Arceus shook his head before an idea popped into his head.

"Let me try something." He said before his eyes turned white. "Foresight!" Arceus said. Luna wondered what was happening.

"Lord Arceus, what are you doing?" She asked.

"It's a move called Foresight, I'm using it to look for Cadance's Aura." Arceus explained. He looked in every direction until he saw a faint pink and blue aura off in the distance. "I think I found her, she's on the far left side of the maze." Arceus said as his eyes went back to normal.

"Far left side, that might be a problem." Luna said.

"Why's that?" Arceus asked.

"The far left side was the part of the maze that I designed and you could say that…..it's the most deadly." Luna said scratching the back of her head. Arceus just looked at the Alicorn and shook his head.

"How deadly are we talking?" He asked.

"I'd rather not say." Luna said.

"Can you lead us through it without setting off the traps?" Arceus asked.

"Yes, but we have to be careful." Luna said walking off with Arceus close behind her. They soon arrived to Luna's self made part of the chamber and they both felt a sudden chill up their spines.

"What was that?" Arceus asked. Luna sighed and looked to Arceus.

"Remember when I said this part of the maze is the most dangerous?" Arceus nodded. "Well, what makes it so dangerous is that I cast a spell that causes all who enter it to face their worst nightmare. The chill we just felt was only the start, it's supposed to make you feel like something is watching you. Next, the paranoia will overtake you until you start hearing voices that aren't there and start thinking you're going crazy. Then, you start seeing illusions of the ponies telling you that you are nothing and that you are a waste of equestrian blood. Then-" "Ok ok, I get it! Terrible nightmare spell and that fact you made it is really concerning me." Arceus said not wanting to hear more.

"I was in a very dark place back then, I'll tell you about it some other time." Luna said in a sad tone.

"Very well, but is this spell is as dangerous as you say, then I'll provide protection for us." Arceus's body was then surrounded by a golden aura which also enveloped Luna.

"Safeguard!" The aura soon died down and the chill running up Arceus's and Luna's spines were gone. Luna looked at herself then looked to Arceus.

"What did you do?" She asked.

"It's another move called Safeguard, it protects me as well as friends from status moves. So your little spell won't have any effect on us." Arceus explained.

"You certainly have a lot of tricks , don't you?" Luna said with a smile.

"Well, I'm not the ruler of my world for nothing." Arceus said proudly. Luna chuckled and the two continued through the maze. Arceus kept his eyes on the pink and blue aura and noticed that it was slowly fading.

"Something's wrong, if that is Cadance I'm seeing then we need to hurry." Arceus said in a panicked tone.

"Why, what's wrong?" Luna asked.

"Her aura is fading, that mean she her life force is fading as well. Something is causing the life to be sucked out of her." Arceus explained. Luna went pale and gritted her teeth.

"What are we waiting for then, we have to go NOW!" Luna said galloping off and Arceus followed after her. They soon made a left turn and what they both saw horrified them. They saw Cadance on the ground, her mane a mess, she was covered in dirt and her eyes were red, stained with tears.

"Sweet Faust." Luna said softly. Arceus had seen many things in Equestria, but never did he see a broken mare and he wished he never did. Luna then went up to her niece.

"Cadance?" She asked only for the young alicorn to jump back in fear.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Cadance screamed covering her muzzle. Luna and Arceus flinched at the pink Alicorn's outburst.

"She's under the effect of the Nightmare spell, she's losing herself." Luna explained.

"That doesn't explain why her aura is fading." Arceus said.

"I may hay a theory about that, Cadance is that Princess of Love and Changelings feed off of love. What is the changeling isn't just feeding off of Shining Armor's love for Cadance." Luna said. Arceus thought about this and caught on to what Luna was getting at.

"Are you saying she feeding off of Cadance at well?" He asked.

"Yes, she loves Shining Armor with every fiber of her being and the Princess of Love being in love is like a buffet to a changeling." Luna explained. Arceus nodded and looked to the trembling alicorn.

"I'm going to see if I can free her from the spell and give her some strength back." Arceus said walking over to the pink alicorn. "Cadance, please listen to me." He said getting closer to her.

"GO AWAY!" Cadance screamed. Arceus didn't stop and once he was in front of her, her placed a hoof and her head and took a deep breath.

"Refresh!" He said in a calm tone. After a few seconds, a green light washed over Cadance and she felt so warm and relaxed. Luna watched what was happening and she hoped that whatever was happening was helping Cadance. "Heal Bell!" Arceus said. Cadance was then covered in a pink light and she felt a sudden surge of magic course through her body causing her to quickly stand up and extend her wings. She then took a deep breath and blinked few times.

"Awwwwww…..headrush." Cadance said rubbing her head.

"After what you've been through, I'm shocked all you got was a headache." Cadance looked to see the Alpha Pokemon standing in front of her.

"Lord Arceus... is that you?" The Alicorn asked.

"Yes old friend, it's me." Arceus answered. Candace was still a bit weak, but she smiled and hugged the Alpha Pokemon.

"It's so good…. to see you?" Cadance said weakly.

"You as well." Arceus said hugging her back. Luna was relieved to see her Niece had recovered and she walked over to her.

"Cadenza!" She said. Cadance looked to the dark blue Alicorn walking over to her.

"Aunt Luna!" Candace said as she tried running to her aunt, but she ended up falling to the ground.

"Cadenza!" Luna said helping the young Alicorn up.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine, just a bit wobbly." Cadance said.

"I can understand why. Come, we need to get out of here before it too late." Luna said. Arceus then walked up to the two Alicorns.

"She's right Princess Cadance, we have to stop that Changeling who is impersonating you." He said.

"What are you talking abou-" Cadance stopped herself and memories of the Changeling that trapped her down her started flowing back. "I remember, that Changeling she...She-" "We know and We're going to stop her dear Niece." Luna said rubbing Cadance's back. Arceus nodded in agreement and began walking.

"Then let's get a move on, we have a wedding to crash."


	9. Chapter 9

_One hour til the wedding, Location: Canterlot Castle._

Celestia was walking around the castle looking for her sister, it had been hours since she had seen her and she was starting to worry. "

Where are you Luna?" She asked herself. She then saw 'Cadence' walking towards her with a slight scowl on her face.

"Is something wrong Cadance?" Celestia asked. 'Cadence' quickly composed herself and gave her "aunt" a smile.

"Oh I'm fine aunt Celestia, Just…..uh…..last minute wedding jitters." She said. Celestia raised an eyebrow at 'Cadance's' behavior.

"If you say so. By the way, have you see Luna by any chance?" She asked.

"Last I saw she was in here room." 'Cadance' said shaking her head.

"Alright, I'll keep looking around for her. I suggest you start getting ready, the wedding starts in an hour." Celestia said walking away.

"Oh don't worry Aunt Tia, I intend to make the most out of this wedding." 'Cadance' said with a sinister smile on her face. 'Cadence' began walking off only to feel a sharp pain in her head. "AH!" She yelled before holding her head.

"Something's wrong, the princess….she's free." 'Cadance' quickly composed herself and walked back to her room.

"I may not know how she got out, but I know she won't make it here in time. But just in case…" 'Cadence's' eyes began to glow bright green and she smiled.

 _Location: Castle Maze_

Arceus, Luna and Cadance continued walking through the maze, being careful not to set off any of Luna's traps.

"Are we almost out?" Cadance asked.

"Almost, all we have to do is turn this corner and we should be back at the entrance." Luna explained.

"Good, I can't say I find these twisted tunnels comforting." Arceus said.

"Aww, is the big bad Alpha pokemon scared of a little maze?" Luna teased. Cadence giggled a bit, while Arceus gave the moon princess a deadpan stare.

"I could easily leave and abandon you two right now if I wanted to. You are aware of that, right?" Arceus asked.

"Yes, but we know you won't." Luna said with a smile.

"I despise you."

"No you don't." By that point Cadence was beginning to laugh her tail off and Luna and Arceus looked at each other quickly before joining in.

"I know this really isn't the appropriate time, but I feel like we needed that." Arceus said.

"Agreed." Luna said with a nod.

"I haven't laughed like that in a long time." Cadence said calming down a bit, trying to keep up the smile she had managed to acquire.

"You deserve it and when we take down that changeling you can laugh all you want." Luna said hugging her niece.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Arceus muttered.

 **GRRRR!**

The group immediately stopped walking and began to look around.

"You two heard that right?" Arceus asked getting into a defensive position.

"Yes, be on your guard." Luna replied. Knowing her body and magic were still recharging, Cadance stood behind Arceus.

 **GRRRR!**

Luna and Arceus kept looking around for the source of the growling until they saw multiple pairs of green eyes off in the distance.

"I don't like the looks of this." Luna said with a glare.

"Nor do I, Sunny Day!" Arceus said shooting a bright ball of light into the air. The ball illuminated the room allowing the group to see a pack of timberwolves in front of them.

"What are these creatures?" Arceus asked, not 100% familiar with the wildlife populating Equestria.

"Timberwolves, and they don't look too friendly." Luna said as her horn began to glow.

"Are Timberwolves ever friendly?" Cadance asked.

"Good point." Luna said. The wooden wolves were closing in on the group causing the two equines to take a few steps back.

"Listen Luna, when I give the signal I want you to take Cadance back to the surface and stop the wedding." Arceus said. Luna and Cadance both looked at the Alpha Pokemon as if he had lost it.

"But what about you?" Luna asked in a questioning, yet slightly worried tone.

"Hah! I'll be fine, I can handle a few wooden mutts." Arceus said in a confident tone.

"You underestimate me". Luna and Cadance looked at one another before nodding.

"Ok, just be careful." Luna said. Arceus nodded and glared at the Timberwolves.

"On three! One...two…..THREE!" Arceus yelled before releasing a massive Flamethrower attack causing the wolves to shield themselves. Luna took this chance to grab Cadance and fly over the Timberwolves while they were distracted. Once Luna and Cadance were of of sight, Arceus began chuckling.

"Ok then. Try and be at least a little entertaining."

 _Location: Wedding Chapel_

"It's time, it's finally time!" Rarity said in a delighted tone. She, as well as the other members of the Mane 5 were waiting for 'Cadance' to walk down the aisle.

"I know, I'm so excited!" Pinkie said with a huge smile on her face.

"Just wait til you girls see me sonic rainboom afterwards. It'll make this the best wedding ever." Rainbow said with a cocky smile.

"Heh, and look at Fluttershy, she and her birds are just as happy as we are." Applejack said pointing to Fluttershy who was preparing her bird choir off in the choir, grinning widely, along with Spike who was holding the rings with his own proud smile on his face.

"And look at Shining Armor, he has such a goofy smile on his face." Rarity said pointing at the face of the groom, who was indeed smiling, but something was off about his eyes. While the Mane 5 and Shining Armor were waiting for the bride, Celestia was standing in the front still wondering where her sister was.

" _Luna, where are you? The wedding is about to-"_ Before Celestia could finish her thought, the wedding music began to play, the large doors in front of her creaked open, and 'Cadance' began walking down aisle with the illustrious CMC throwing down flower petals in front of her, having the times of their lives serving at a royal wedding.

"Oh she looks gorgeous." Rarity said quietly, admiring her work.

"That dress does look good on her." Applejack said smiling at the bride.

"Well done, Rarity."

'Cadance' had finally made her way to next to her husband to be, as the Crusader's scooted off the side, and looked to him with a small smile. Shining Armor's parents were in the front of the crowd, both of them crying tears of happiness for their son. Celestia stared at the couple and she sighed.

" _Wherever you are sister, you're missing something completely adorable."_ She thought with a smile, trying to remove the concern about the whereabouts of her sister from her mind. She probably overslept after her shift last night, or decided she had better things to do. Either way, she would turn up eventually, and Celestia had a wedding to officiate. As the music began to die down, the solar princess began to recite the words she had carefully memorized over the last few days.

"Mares and Stallions, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor, two ponies who are extremely dear to me. The strength of their commitment is clear, the power of their love undeniable and as I bestow these rings upon your horns, you will be held together by a bond much stronger than anything. A commitment that lasts longer than life itself. Shining Armor, do you take Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, to be your lawfully wedded wife." Celestia asked with reverence. She could've sworn she saw the slightest flash of green through her peripherals, but she quickly dismissed it, hinging on these next few words. Still beaming like a foal, Shining Armor nodded before almost hypnotically replying...

"I do"

Celestia turned to the other pony before her, and asked "And do you, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, take Shining Armor to be your lawfully wedded husband"

'Cadence' turned to her "fiance and cracked a grin, getting the two words ready that would make her the happiest mare in the whole world"

"I do" She answered almost coyly. However, nopony noticed, still caught up in the beauty of it all. Celestia, readied herself, looked forward toward both of them, and began to speak once more.

"And so, I now happily declare you two, husband and wi-"

" **HOLD IT!"**

Suddenly the doors of the chapel swung open, revealing Luna with an angry expression on her face. Celestia was awestruck. She was one syllable away from ending the wedding, allowing these two to begin their new lives. And now, after missing all of the proceeding, her sister barges in making a scene this large. Celestia, however, saw her sister's face and she got worried, despite the strong questions she had for her.

"Luna, what's wrong!? And where have you been!?" Celestia asked, trying to ask the second part more quietly, yet reasonably peeved, still allowing her sister to here.

"I'll explain that later, right now we must address the threat!" Luna said angrily. Everypony in the chapel began wondering what the lunar princess meant by "threat" and began to almost politefully panic in their seats, while Celestia seemed extremely confused, while 'Cadance' began to sweat a little bit. Celestia had nearly forgotten about the threat made against Canterlot. If there was indeed a danger to her citizens, then perhaps Luna's sudden intrusion was justifiable after all.

"What about the threat Luna? Has it finally revealed itself?" Celestia asked in a serious, yet curious tone. The Elements, as well everypony in the chapel stared at the Lunar princess waiting for an answer, as the panic had manifested into a chilling silence.

"Yes, it has..." Luna began to answer with heavy breaths "...and you are about to wed her to Lady Sparkle's brother!" Luna said pointing at 'Cadence'. Everypony gasped at Luna's accusation and began to speak amongst themselves. The Elements and Celestia on the other hoof, widened their eyes to the familiar claim, Celestia especially. glared at the dark blue alicorn, along with certain members of Twilight's friends.

"Oh not this again! Luna, did Twilight put you up to this?" Celestia asked in a serious tone, not especially caring to be subtle anymore. Luna had barged in and interrupted her niece's and future step-nephews special day. Not only that, she blatantly accused her of a crime in front of everypony. Celestia wasn't sure where Luna was, but she honestly didn't care at this point.

"Seriously Princess Luna, I didn't think you would be the pony to believe the nonsense Twilight was spouting." Applejack said, stepping forward and eyeing the Princess down, unsure of her motives. Shining's parents were wondering what the Princess and Applejack were talking about, but before they could ask Luna spoke up again.

"Lady Sparkle didn't say a thing to me and I would refrain from speaking about her in that matter if I were you." Luna said glaring at Applejack, who took a step back with widened eyes in shock of Luna's boldness, before turning to her sister. 'Cadance' knew this was bad, so she decided to step in and start the waterworks.

"Aunt Luna I don't understand! Why do you and Twilight insist on ruining my special day?" She said with tears in her eyes, now covering her teary face with her hoof.

"Because it's not your special day!" Luna retorted, then stepping aside to reveal the real Princess Cadance behind her, still bruised and dirty with a very angry look on her face.

"It's mine!" She said with venom in her voice, glaring daggers into her copycat's eyes. Everypony gasped once again, and Celestia and The Elements both reeled, both shocked and confused. It couldn't be. There was no way. They all stood there motionless, mouths hanging open, and eyes once again widened in disbelief.

"Wait….what….how!" Spike was at a loss for words, as was everypony else. The fake Cadance glared at the real Cadance and she growled.

"I don't understand! How did you escape the Timberwolves?" She asked in a dark tone. Cadance and Luna looked at one another and smiled.

 _Location: Castle Maze_

Arceus was walking through the ashes of the timberwolves while whistling. "That wasn't even a challenge, I'm barely warmed up. Hmmm...maybe that changeling will give a slightly better fight." Arceus said, walking towards the exit of the maze.

 _Back to the wedding…_

The fake Cadance stepped forward and she smiled.

"No matter, you both are too late anyway." She said in a malicious tone. Everypony wondered what she meant.

"What are you talking about! A-and how can there be two of ya!? What in tarnation is going on!?" Applejack asked, starting to get angered by her confusion. The real Cadence then glared at her doppleganger and stepped forward.

"She's a changeling, she takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them." Cadence explained. Everypony in the room turned back to the fake Cadence who began to laugh. She looked up, eyes bright green and filled with malice.

"Well, the cats out of the bag now, sooo…" The fake Cadence was soon surrounded by green fire and her eyes flashed and even brighter green. Everypony took a step back and shielded their eyes as the fake Cadance began returning to her original form. Luna was the only one who didn't shield her eyes, she didn't want the bug to get one chance to…

 **ZAP!**

Just then Luna was hit with a green blast of magic, moving so fast, nopony could have reacted in time, causing her to be pushed back into a wall.

"AHHH!" Luna yelled before crashing. Once the light died down, everypony looked up to see the changeling queen in her true form: A tall, black, insect-looking creature with a long crooked horn, insect wings, and a small crown on her head.

"HAHAHAHAHA! That's for getting on my nerves, "Aunty Luna"!" She said with a cackle. Celestia quickly got over her shock and looked to her sister who was embedded in chapel wall, the real Cadence rushing to her side.

"Luna!" She then turned back at the queen and glared at her. "How dare you!" Celestia said angrily. She was furious at this monster, but still a sharp pain resided in her chest, a pain she didn't have time to identify. Chrysalis just chuckled at Celestia.

"I dared months ago Celestia, and it took you up until this point to find that out." She said with a smirk. This only fueled Celestia's anger and her horn began to glow. But as her horn ignited the pain spiked, making her breath heavier with a quickened pace. Chrysalis's words hadn't wounded her, but amplified one she had been hesitant to acknowledge. Her denial, her ignorance, her realization, all bottled up inside her, and she struggled to contain them.

"I will say this only once, GET! OUT! OF! MY! KINGDOM!" Celestia demanded as her horn bagan glowing more and more with every word. And with every word, another struggle to keep herself together. Everypony except Chrysalis took a few steps back from the angered solar princess. Chrysalis smirked again and turned her back to Celestia.

"Make me." She said, almost defiantly playful. Celestia didn't hesitate with the opportunity provided, she quickly fired a large golden beam at Chrysalis. The Changeling Queen didn't flinch though as she quickly and without any effort put up a barrier blocking Celestia's attack. Everypony gasped at what they had just seen, but none were more shocked than Cadence, Luna and the Mane 5.

"How..how is she doing that?" Spike asked with wide eyes, still not sure how to process this, and basically on reactionary auto-pilot. Chrysalis with her back still turned, craned her neck to face the small dragon and chuckled again.

"Simple little dragon, I've been feeding off of Shining Armor and Cadence's love for each other for months now. To think the I surpassed Celestia in power in only a few weeks and she had no idea. It'd be sad if it wasn't so easy." She said in a confident tone. Celestia slowly stopped her attack and she started breathing heavily.

"This...can't...be." She said weakly.

"Oh it certainly can be _Princess_ , and now that I've proven that my strength far exceeds yours…" Chysalis's horn began to glow and she smirked. "I think it's high time you stepped down from that altar." Just then Celestia was surrounded by a green energy field that began to shock her with what felt to Celestia like 100,000 volts of magical energy.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Celestia screamed in pain. Everypony in the room covered their eyes and ears as they couldn't stand to watch one of the princesses in so much pain. But The Elements couldn't look away. They winced and cried but they couldn't look away as the Princess was writhing in pain before them. They had no words, no actions, no real thoughts other than confusion as to how such a peaceful day had manifested into this graphic image that would be ingrained into their minds the attack was over, Celestia fell to the floor unconscious and charred, while Chrysalis just laughed. Luna watched everything happen with wide eyes and she looked to the Changeling with pure rage.

"Nopony and I mean nopony, **MESSES WITH OUR SISTER!** " Luna screamed before charging towards the Changeling Queen in a fit of rage. Cadence watched her aunt as she charged the Queen.

"Aunt Luna stop!" Cadance said in a panic. Luna was too angry to listen to her niece, her sights already set on her target. She then shot a beam of blue energy at Chrysalis who just kept smiling.

"If you were still Nightmare Moon I might actually be intimidated. But since you're not…..." Chrysalis fired another green beam at Luna's. The Two beams collided, but without any effort Luna's blast was quickly overpowered Luna's, stopping her in her tracks as she held her footing and tried to push back toward the advancing enemy attack. Cadence saw this and she ran to her Aunt's side.

"Hold on Aunt Luna!" She said before firing a light blue energy beam from her horn, colliding with the already existing beam duel.. Cadance's beam along with Luna's stopped Chrysalis's beam...or so they thought. Chrysalis continued to smile at the two alicorns.

"You know, I'd actually be impressed if not for this!" She said upping the energy of her laser causing Luna and Cadance lasers to be pushed back again. Both Luna and Cadance's eyes went wide.

"You can't be serious!" Cadance panicked.

"Stay focused Cadenza!" Luna said trying her best to hold off Chrysalis's attack. Everypony in the room could do nothing but watch the scene unfold and some were even wondering where the royal guard was.

 _With Arceus_

Arceus had finally made it out of the maze.

"Finally. If only those walls weren't affecting my moves, I could have teleported out of there much sooner. Now all I have to do is find Luna and-" Arceus stopped walking and felt a massive tremor of energy being unleashed. "What the!" He then walked over to a nearby window and saw the chapel in the distance. Not only that he saw thousands upon thousands of bug creatures outside of the barrier "Hmmmmm, this does not bode well." Arceus said in a serious tone. He then opened a golden portal behind him a walked through it.

 _Back with Cadance and Luna_

"I can't...hold this...much...longer!" Cadance said still struggling to fend off Chrysalis.

"Stay strong Cadenza, we must...stay strong!" Luna said also struggling. Chrysalis was amused by the two alicorns futile efforts and she smiled.

"As fun as this is ladies, I'm getting bored and it's time.. **I END THIS!** Chrysalis yelled as her eyes and her horn began to glow even brighter. The queens laser then began to overpower the two Alicorns beams with minimal effort. Luna and Cadance both felt a massive rise in the changelings power.

"No….she can't be this powerful!" Luna said in shock.

"This….can't-" Before Cadance could finish both her and Luna were finally pushed back by Chrysalis's laser and were sent not into the wall of the chapel but through it, creating holes on the walls both were sprawled out, battered and singed by the magic and the impact, and clearly in pain. Everypony looked at the now defeated Alicorns with horrified looks on their faces, The Elements, especially shaken, as seemingly all three Princesses were out of commision, and they were not especially acquainted with this level of violence or malice. They were out of their league, and so they continued to stand their motionless. Cadence slowly opened her eyes and saw Luna unconscious next to her.

"Aunt….Luna." She said slowly struggling to get up. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Cadance then looked at the queen with a glare on her face.

"Yours and Shining Armor's love for one another truly is amazing. To think it's made me this powerful in such a short time. Not even Celestia or the combined power of two Alicorns could defeat me!" The queen gloated. Cadence then walked back into the chapel, almost limping as she continued to stare at the queen with cold eyes.

"I won't let you...win." She said breathing deeply.

"I'm sorry my dear, but I've already won. As we speak my changeling minions are surrounding Canterlot and are about to attack." Chrysalis explained.

"Like they'll get the chance, Shining Armor's spell will keep them from ever reaching us!" Cadence said, straining herself to raise her voice.

"I highly doubt that." Chrysalis then looked to Shining Armor and her horn began to glow again.

"Isn't that right dear?" She asked.

"Mmm-hmmm." Shining said with a zombie-like nod. Cadence looked at her fiance in horror, pupils shaking at the thought of losing Shining to this monster. She shook her head, remembered what Luna had said, and quickly regained her composure and tried to fire another blast at the queen with a loud grunt.

"Ah-ah." Chrysalis teased, almost looking down at Cadance like a naughty child. "You don't want to go back down into the caves now, do you Princess?" Chrysalis asked with a smirk. Cadence knew very well that if she was sent back into the cave, she would never free Shining Armor, so she took a deep breath and she stopped charging her magic. The changeling queen chuckled.

"That's what I thought." She then walked over to Shining Armor and smiled at him. "Ever since I took your place, I've been feeding off of the love both you and Shining Armor have for one another. Every moment he grows weaker and so does his spell. Even now the minions I told you about are chipping away at his little shield." She explained. Applejack heard this and looked out the window next to her and saw hundreds of changelings attacking Shining Armor's barrier.

"She right, the shield is about to go!" Applejack said in a panic. Everypony in the room officially started to panic as well now, but Chrysalis was laughing.

"That's right, get ready little ponies because today, Canterlot falls." She then turned to Cadance. "And as a bonus, I'll just take this young stallion for myself. A gift for a job well done. Who know maybe he could be my husband for real Not like he'll have any say in the matter. " She said with a smirk. Cadence both felt anger and heartache and she didn't know what to do.

"You'll do no such thing!" Cadence growled.

"Hmmm…..says you." Chrysalis said with a smirk. "But enough talk for now." She then turned to Shining Armor. "Dear if you would please, lower the barrier." She said. Shining Armor gave a small nod and his horn began to glow. The Mane 5 finally had enough of watching and stepped forward.

"That's it you poor excuse for a bug, We ain't gonna stand here and let you do this!" Applejack said with confidence in her voice. The other members of the Mane 5 nodded in agreement and after a few seconds of silence Chrysalis just laughed at them.

"You truly think you 'Five' can defeat me?" She asked them.

"What makes you think we can't, we already defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord." Rainbow boasted. Chrysalis continued to laugh.

"While that maybe true, you're forgetting one key 'Element' that helped you defeat her." She said with a smirk.

"Really and what would that be?" Rarity said, not wanting to hear the queen's nonsnese. Chrysalis laughed even louder.

"Pathetic, you five really don't remember casting aside your only saving grace? I thought bonds like those were "stronger than anything"" She said. The mares all looked at her in confusion except Fluttershy who had a look of horror on her face and it wasn't because of the current crisis.

"Twilight." She said in a quiet rest of the girls looked to the timid Pegasus and raised their eyebrows.

"What was that Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked.

"Twilight." She said a bit louder with tears in her eyes.

"What was-" "TWILIGHT!" She screamed before breaking down on the floor. The four mares took in what Fluttershy said and their face began pale.

"C-crap!" Rainbow said in a panic, not even thinking about her words.

"She...she tried to…" Applejack couldn't finish her sentence as the guilt began to get to her. The sharp pain Celestia had felt had spread to the five of them, piercing and stabbing from the inside. They remembered everything Twilight had said, what she tried to do, not for herself, but for her friends. And they drove her away. And without her, they couldn't use the Elements they had relied on so heavily.

"What did we do?" Rarity asked putting a hoof over her mouth. Pinkie didn't have to say much as her mnae went flat and her bright smile was all but gone. Chrysalis watched the girls in elation.

"That's right, you all don't have Twilight Sparkle with you, and I highly doubt you will ever again. After you all cast her aside like garbage, I wouldn't be surprised if you never heard from her ever again." She said with delight and a chuckle. Cadance had a confused look on her face.

"What….what are you talking about? Why wouldn't Twilight come and help? ...Why...why isn't she here now…..she should be here…..what….. What happened to her! What did you do to her you monster!" She cried out, tears forming in her eyes.. Chrysalis then turned to the Princess of Love and began to explain.

"You wound me Princess. I have done nothing with your purple compatriot. Because these five ponies, her brother and even her once beloved Teacher turned their backs on her." Chrysalis said with a smile. Cadance was even more confused now, she had been told by Princess Celestia that her new friends were a joy and that she was lucky to have them. This changeling had to be wrong, but if that was true then why did these five mares look so broken? All these questions invaded Candace's mind and she wanted answers desperately.

"I see you're struggling to understand, Princess. Well allow me to enlighten you. During my time posing as you, I've been gaining the trust of everypony in the castle, and when The Bearers of Harmony arrived it only made my plans work even better. I figured that if they had my trust, no one would discover my plans. Unfortunately, Twilight Sparkle had her suspicions and started getting nosy. I was shocked when she called me out on my behavior and what she saw what I had done to her brother at the rehearsal. But I had come too far to let her ruin what I worked so hard to achieve. So I made a gamble and released my hold on Shining Armor when she started talking about the spells I've been casting on him. I then let things run their course and once I ran out of the rehearsal room, I listened to what Shining, the Bearers and Celestia said and did to dear Twilight. Her own brother banned her from the wedding and her 'Friends' and teacher just left her in her sadness. And before you blame me for making Shining Armor say all those terrible things to Twilight, let me remind you that he was released from my spell, so anything he said or did was completely of his own free will. How sad is it that even your precious Shining couldn't see through my facade. If only he recognized that he all those chats and long days and nights he spent with his wife over the last few months….weren't even with his wife at all!"

Cadance and the Element Bearers were silent but wide eyed at the information they had just received. Cadence couldn't react. All she could do was take it in, and try and process the words in her mind. She felt such conflicting emotions from anger, to sadness, to confusion, to betrayal, and the most potent of all, heartbreak.

"I almost felt bad for the poor unicorn, having her brother, her friends, and her own teacher ripped away for her by somepony they barely knew." After Chrysalis had finally finished, she allowed her words to sink into the minds of the Princess and the Element Bearers with waiting eyes.

Cadence couldn't believe what she had just heard. She looked toward the ground, her bruised hooves shaking violently. She still had several questions darting around in her head, but currently only one of them really mattered. She turned to look at the five mares she had never met before, mares that were supposedly Twilight's new friends. Mares she couldn't wait to meet. She turned to them with almost lifeless eyes and spoke shakily and confused.

"Why...why did you…" Cadance couldn't finish her sentence due to the shock. Fluttershy just cried even louder while the rest of the Elements, except Applejack, turned their heads away from Cadence.

"W….we thought that Twilight was just….being to over protective of her brother and she just accused you...her…. of being evil without any real evidence." Applejack explained.

"So we went to comfort you….her instead of staying with Twilight." Rainbow said, finishing up their explanation. Cadence just stared at the 5 mares for a good minute before, lowering her head, quickly gritting her teeth and glaring at them. She then opened her mouth, but another voice spoke up first.

"Right from the horse's mouth." Everypony turned to see Princes Luna standing back up, clearly straining to do so.

"Aunt Luna." Cadence said, trying to sound happy, but coming off more somber.. Luna stepped forward and glared at both the Changeling Queen, before turning toward The Elements.

"Do you have any idea what you all have done?" She said angrily. Chrysalis just smiled while the Element Bearers flinched at her question, looking pained more than anything else. Luna then looked to Shining Armor.

"I hope you can hear me too Shining Armor because of what you, my sister, and Lady Sparkle's 'Friends' have done we have lost the Element of Magic and it's Bearer." Luna said with a slight growl. Fluttershy was already a crying mess but now the rest of the Mane 5 had tears streaming down their faces.

"Aww, Princess Luna you shouldn't hurt their feelings. Besides it's not really their….well actually it is." Chrysalis said before she started laughing again. The two Princesses glared at her at the Queen.

"Now if you all don't mind, I have a kingdom to conquer. Shining Armor lower the barrier." Chrysalis demanded. Shining's horn began to glow and the barrier bagan crumbling away. Everypony began worrying and they knew they couldn't do anything to stop the queen. Chrysalis's horn and began to glow and she started speaking. "Now my Children, go and Feed!" She commanded. Luna, Candace and The Mane 5 all waited for the massacre to begin and After about 30 seconds….nothing happened. No screams, no explosions, no anything. Everypony in the chapel looked around and then they looked at the Chrysalis.

"Um….not that I'm complaining, but shouldn't something be happening right now?" Cadance asked a very confused looking Chrysalis.

"This…..this doesn't make any sense! Where is my army!?"

 _With Arceus_

"Well that took a while, but it was worth it." Arceus said as he looked at all the defeated army of Changelings around him. "These bugs were less of a challenge than those wolves. I guess it's time I pay that Queen a visit." He said before opening another golden portal and walking through. "I hope Luna and Cadance haven't gotten into too much trouble while I was taking care of that." He said before the portal closed.

 _Back at the wedding_

"This doesn't make any sense, my army should have invaded by now." Chrysalis said in a slight panic, taking a few steps back while looking through all the windows, trying to find any trace of her army's wrath outside. Luna and Cadance were also wondering what was going on, but then a lightbulb went off in their heads.

"Cadenza, do you think-" "It's possible." Cadance said cutting Luna off. The two Alicorns then began smiling which didn't go unnoticed by Chrysalis.

"What are you both smiling about?" She hissed. Luna and Cadance stayed silent which only fueled her anger. She then lifted both alicorns into the air with her magic and pinned them to the ceiling. "You both did this, tell me what you did NOW!" Chrysalis commanded. Luna and Cadance tried to free themselves, but the Queens magic was too strong. "Fine, I'll just force the answers out of the two of you." Chrysalis said before Charging a large green laser and aiming it at the two princesses.

"NO! If that much magic hits them they'll be knocking at death's door." Rarity said in a panic.

"Stop it!" Rainbow said before charging at Chrysalis.

"Stay out of my way!" Chrysalis said, stopping Rainbow mid flight with her magic and throwing her across the room.

"Dashie!" Pinkie yelled. Rainbow rolled onto the ground, swiftly colliding into the wall with a thud, scuffs across her body and groaning in pain until her world went black.

"Fool!" Chrysalis said before firing her laser at Luna and Cadance. Everypony in the room looked away from what was about to happen and both alicorns closed their eyes and hoped for a miracle….

 **PROTECT!**

Just then a blueish-green barrier surrounded Luna and Cadance and shielded them for Chrysalis's attack.

"What!? That's Impossible!" Chrysalis said in shock. Soon, a golden light filled the room and Luna and Cadance were suddenly freed from Chrysalis's hold, quickly falling to the ground with a set of "oofs".

"Yes, he made it!" Luna said with a smile.

"Took him long enough." Cadance said also smiling.

" _I say again, you both know I could just leave you to perish."_ A majestic voice coming from all directions of the room said. Everypony except for Luna and Cadance looked for the source of the voice.

"Who was that, reveal yourself!" Chrysalis demanded.

" _Of course, but you asked for this not me."_ Just then, a huge golden portal opened and slowly walking out was the Alpha Pokemon himself. Everypony looked at the newcomer in awe and wonder, completely taken in by his odd appearance and powerful voice.

"My word." Rarity said in disbelief as she gazed upon the strange intruder.

"He's so shiny!" Pinkie said her mane slightly coming back to life.

"I just hope that whatever that thing is, it's on our side." Applejack said with a slight gulp. Chrysalis looked over the newcomer and glared at him.

"Who are you and give me a reason why I shouldn't turn you to ashes." She spat. Arceus simply ignored the Changeling and walked over to the two Alicorns.

"Are you both alright?" He asked.

"We would have been better if you had gotten here sooner. " Luna said with a small smirk, standing up once again weakly, still wincing in pain.

"Well excuse me for taking out an entire army of bugs by myself. You're welcome by the way." Arceus said. Cadence just smiled, also getting herself back upright.

"We're grateful for what you did Lord Arceus, but we still have a problem to deal with." She said gesturing to the Queen who was beyond furious by this point. If there was one thing she hated, it was being ignored.

"Oh yes. The queen herself.." He then faced Chrysalis and glared at her.

"So how should I end this quickly? A Flamethrower frontal assault or Aerial Ace to the back.?" Arceus asked himself.

"Do you have any idea who you are talking to, Who do you think you are!" Chrysalis asked in a fit of rage.

"I am Lord Arceus, ruler of the Pokemon world and I don't appreciate you tone. I am tired of this nonsense right now, so I'll give you one chance to give up. Choose very carefully, because you have already angered me severely." He said in a calm tone, with an angry undertone.

"Lord Arceus, you aren't going to let her escape, are you?'." Cadence asked, questioning the Alpha Pokemon with concern.

"I know what I am doing, dear Cadence." Arceus said in a confident tone. Cadence's eyes widened and she took a step back.

"Is he really-" "Do not worry Cadence. Arceus already knows what will happen. She will not go unpunished." Luna replied quickly, turning toward the standoff between the two.

"Well 'Arceus', you must know that these three Alicorns have had no chance against me. What makes _you_ so sure you can defeat me?" Chrysalis asked the Alpha Pokemon smugly, already charging her horn.

"Hmph" the Alpha Pokemon huffed, understanding the choice the queen had made. "Well for one, my power isn't stolen like yours is. Second, I have powers nopony in this room can even imagine. And lastly…" And before he even finished his thought, he vanished in a flash. Everypony in the room gasped, and Chrysalis's eyes quickly widened and moved quickly around the room in a swift search for the Pokemon. Her eyes widened further as she felt a looming presence behind her, and as she quickly turned around with a charged horn…

"Aura Sphere!" cried Arceus as he appeared behind the queen and charged a light blue sphere of energy in front of him, and before Chrysalis even fully turned around, lunged the orb at her point blank, colliding with her face and sending her flying back at the tremendous speed with a large cloud of mist resonating were the impact occurred. The queen hurdled across the room, breaking right through the large wooden door at the far end of the chapel with a loud "creak". As the dust settled from the attack, Arceus stood there solemnly looking through the wreckage.

"...Those alicorns couldn't do _that_ " Arceus then turned to the ponies in the chapel and opened another golden portal.

"Everypony out, this portal will take you you the castle." He said. Everypony in the room was still weary of this new comer, but Princess Luna spoke up.

"It's alright everypony, Lord Arceus is an old friend of me and my sister. He's as trustworthy as they come." Luna then looked to the Mane 5 and Spike who were surrounding a still unconscious Rainbow Dash.

"Applejack, take Rainbow Dash and get out of here with the others." She said in a calm tone.

"But Princess we-" Luna then cast a deadly glare to The Mane 5 which made all of them flinch. "Ok we understand." With that Applejack put Rainbow Dash onto her back and the rest of the Elements, along with the ponies in the chapel all escaped into the golden portal. Arceus then levitated Celestia over to Cadance and Luna.

"Leave this place." He said to the two of them.

"What about you?' Cadance asked, concerned for Arceus. Arceus looked back at the wreckage and saw it moving slightly.

"I'm going to teach this 'Queen' what happens to those manipulate and attack old acquaintances." Arceus said ruffling Cadence's mane.

"Good luck." Luna said before putting Celestia on her back.

"Won't need it. Now go." Both alicorns nodded and ran into the portal which closed behind them. As soon as it did, an explosion came from the wreckage and Chrysalis emerged with a green flame surrounding her body.

"You….YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!" She screamed. Arceus felt her power spike, but he wasn't worried.

"What are you going to do about it?" He asked in a smug manner.

"RAHHH!" Chrysalis Screamed as she charged Arceus at full speed. Arceus chuckled at this.

"Protect." He said before another blueish-green barrier surrounded him and once Chrysalis made contact with it she bounce right off of it and rolled onto the ground.

"Anything else you'd like to try." Arceus taunted. Chrysalis growled and got back up.

"Don't toy with me!" She said before teleporting behind Arceus and firing a green laser at his back. This time Arceus let the blast hit him and it sent him forward a bit. Chrysalis didn't stop there, she then flew into the air and fired multiple beams at Arceus from all sides until he was covered in green smoke. "Now to finish this!" She said before creating a large green energy ball and throwing it at Arceus causing a massive…..

 **KA-BOOM!**

Chrysalis then looked at the explosion with a huge grin on her face. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! So much for all that gusto, you couldn't even-" "Congratulations, you managed to kick up some dust." Chrysalis's eyes went wide as she saw the Alpha pokemon walk out of the smoke with barely a scratch on him.

"Is that all you got?" He asked in a calm yet serious tone. Chrysalis snarled at the Alpha pokemon and flew into the air.

"Oh, I'll show you what I got!" She said before firing multiple green lasers at Arceus. Arceus merely took a deep breath and allowed the lasers to hit him.

"How's that!?" Chrysalis asked before landing on the ground.

"Not bad actually, I had major kink in my neck that was killing me and that little massage really helped out a lot." Arceus said smugly. If looks could kill Arceus would be dead because Chrysalis couldn't take the Alpha Pokemon's mouth anymore.

"Listen up 'Queen', I'm going to give you two choices. 1: You either hit me with everything you have and pray to whatever deity you believe in that it defeats me or 2: Surrender and avoid a humiliating defeat. It's your call." Arceus said. Chrysalis grit her teeth and her horn began to glow, sparking with surges of power.

"It seems you're picking the first option. Very well. Just remember, you, me, everything you got. Are we clear?" Arceus asked. Chrysalis's horn began to glow brighter and brighter and she flew into the air once again. " **Crystal!** " She said in a dark tone.

(Play Vegeta Super Saiyan Theme)

Just then the chapel began to shake and some pieces of rubble began to float into the air. " _Impressive she's putting out a lot of power._ " Arceus thought as he watched the changeling queen charge her magic, keeping extreme eye contact with the queen.

"This will end, now! And then Canterlot will be mine!" After Chrysalis said that her body was covered in a green flame and Arceus chuckled.

"Very nice, I can actually feel the heat and power coming off you." He said.

"In mere moments, all you'll be feeling is oblivion!" Chrysalis said preparing to attack Arceus.

"Hmph, that or disappointment. Go ahead, flip that coin." Arceus said in a cocky tone, pleased that some form of challenge had presented itself after all this time, despite his unwavering confidence. For Chrysalis however, that was the final straw.

" _ **Soul Extinction!"**_ Chrysalis yelled as she fired a enormous green laser at Arceus.

"Aww how cute, she named i-"

 **KA-BOOM!**

The entire chapel went up in smoke and luckily nopony was in the area, or else being in the hospital would be the least of their worries. The smoke cleared slowly, and a green orb could be seen in the quickly ,dissolving dust with Chrysalis inside.

"I might have gone a bit overboard." She said before dropping the shield. She then looked around at the now destroyed Chapel, with no sign of the Alpha Pokemon.

"Well, he did say everything." She said with a smirk.

"Now to round up my army and-" "Wow, you really made a mess." Chrysalis's eyes widened when she heard that. She slowly turned around and saw the Alpha pokemon standing right behind her.

"H…...How...?" she asked in a speechless tone.

"Simple. You hit me, I defended, and I waited for the smoke to die down so I could surprise you." If he could, Arceus would be smirking right now. Chrysalis took a few steps back and grit her teeth. "You've probably figured this out, but you will never hit me with that stolen power bug!" Arceus said in a victorious tone. Chrysalis's shock was once again replaced with anger.

"Then what do you call the last five minutes!?" She asked in an angry tone. Arceus looked the queen dead in her eyes and said one word.

"Pity." he said before disappearing, reappearing behind Chrysalis and raising a hoof. "Poison Jab!" His hoof began to glow purple and struck the queen in the back causing her to cry out in pain.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed before falling to the ground. Arceus scoffed and walked in front of Chrysalis.

"You're very lucky because if you had met me a few millennia ago, you would be dead." He said in a dark tone. Chrysalis couldn't tell if she was shaking because of her now poisoned body or the words of the Alpha pokemons words. Arceus's body then began to glow and he placed a hoof on Chrysalis.

"The poison will wear off, but I'll be taking all the power and love you stole from Cadance and Shining Armor. GIGA DRAIN!" Arceus said. Chrysalis began to squirm and hiss as she felt all of her power and magic being forced out of her body. "It's doesn't feel good to have your own energy taken huh?" Arceus said in a cold tone. Chrysalis continued to squirm until Arceus finally stopped the attack. The Alpha Pokemon then got into the now weakened queens face.

"Now you listen to me, if I _ever_ catch you in this land again, I promise I won't be so merciful then. Now get out of my this kingdom!" Arceus then began charging a black orb and aimed it at Chrysalis.

"HYPER BEAM!" He yelled before quickly facing lower and firing a black beam directly belew Chrysalis. The beam connected to the ground below Chrysalis sending her flying off into the wild blue yonder, bruised and beaten. "And that takes care of that." Arceus said, looking off toward the sky where he had just sent his opponent, before opening a golden portal and walking through it.


	10. Chapter 10

_Location: Canterlot Castle. With Luna and Cadance_

As soon as Luna, Cadance and everypony else attending the wedding went through Arceus's portal, they appeared in the large, imposing, throne room, scattering around as the filed out from the glowing circle. And almost immediately Luna took charge.

"Everypony! Do not panic!" She began in her Royal Canterlot voice, gaining the attention of all the room's occupants, before, clearing her throat and continuing. "The creature you saw a few moments ago was a very powerful friend of my sister and I. I promise you with great certainty that he will not let our land fall to that Changeling!" Luna said in a confident tone. Everypony in the room looked at one another, quietly hoping that the moon princess was right and beginning to calm down a bit. Meanwhile, Cadence was doing her best to wake up her fiance, with little success. Shining Armor, while technically 'awake', was just standing there, a blank, lifeless look on his face. She sighed, looking into his baren eyes.

" _Sigh_ , Even after what happened...not even you deserve this right now." Cadence said under her breath.

Off to the side of the room, the remaining Elements, along with Spike, were contemplating the day's events and revelations, the situation with Twilight weighing heavily on their minds, excluding Rainbow Dash, who would be if she wasn't still KO'd on the floor.

"I-I still can't believe what we-" "You don't have to say it, sugarcube….we bucked up. We bucked up bad." Applejack said solemnly, with a hint of self directed anger, cutting a now deflated and visibly worn out Pinkie Pie off.

"Applejack! Language!" Rarity scolded. Applejack just turned toward the mare, still grimacing

"Y'all think I care about language at a time like this?" Applejack asked in an spiteful and sharp tone. Rarity flinched a bit and looked down. Fluttershy stayed silent, sitting on the floor and staying close to Rainbow Dash incase she woke up.

"I...I just don't want to talk about it right now." AJ said, shaking her head before similarly looking towards the ground.

Once everything was under control and all of the attendees were accounted for and assessed as safe and sound, Luna went over to her unconcious sister.

"Celestia...Celestia…..* _sigh_ * Tia, wake up...wake up!" She commanded, shaking Celestia with her magic, not taking the time to be gentle. The solar princess slowly opened her eyes, quickly recognizing her sister in her hazy vision.

"L..Luna?" She asked groggily, trying to get up.

"I'm here, sister. Are you alright?" Luna asked as she helped her sister up ,trying to be courteous to her ailing sibling. Celestia shook her head and sat up.

"To be honest..I've been better. I feel like I was zapped by a dozen thunder clouds." She replied, rubbing her head.

"Well, you got the equivalent of that...probably more. The Queen's magic was more powerful than we anticipated. Even Cadance and myself together couldn't defeat her." Luna explained lowering her head. Celestia took in that information and her eyes widened.

"That means she's still out there in Canterlot. Summon the royal guard! We must-" Celestia was quickly silenced as her sister put a hoof on her mouth.

"Don't worry sister, It's being taken care of as we speak." Luna said with a small smile. The Solar princess raised an eyebrow at her little sister.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Luna was about to answer before…

 **KA-BOOM!**

Suddenly, a huge explosion coming from outside rang throughout the ears of everypony gathered in that room, causing another wave of incoherent, panic-induced reactions from the wedding-goers all grouped together. After the initial reaction, everypony had jettisoned from solemn, melancholic, and quiet, to worried chatter, wondering where the sound had come from, while one Princess Luna immediately turned toward the nearest large window, quickly flying toward it. Celestia, getting on her hooves again, stumbled slowly over to her sister, while Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Spike helped a trembling Fluttershy off the ground, currently reassuring her friend that she was fine.

Luna, swiftly arriving at the window, scoured the city below her, as the throne room was rather high above the streets of Canterlot. She rather quickly found her target, adopting another small grin as she looked upon the object of interest.

"And it appears the situation has been thoroughly taken care of." Luna said with resolution and relief in her voice.

Celestia, now next to her sister at the window, followed the younger princesses gaze to find a most disturbing site. There, below the princess, sat the smoking remains of Canterlot's illustrious chapel. The roof was riddled with holes, the structural integrity of the whole building clearly no longer in tact, and a huge charred mark had been signed through the main door, staining the stone outside it. She stood there, eyes widened in disbelief at the damage.

"How...what happened to...what is going on?" She asked weakly, turning toward her sister.

"Wh-what happened to the chapel!" A pony rang out, looking down at the destroyed chapel, garnering the attention of all in the room and attracting everypony towards the windows, evenly spaced all across the wall. Ponies rang out, scared, confused, shocked, and all across the board, generally panicked and disturbed.

"What's going on down there?!"

"Did that changeling win?!"

"What is going on?!"

Ponies wailed, combining into a mess of panicked rambling. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity had also made their way toward the window, staring toward the chapel as well. They were, however, the only ones in the mass of ponies that were completely silent, just staring at the wreckage, confused and pained expressions on each of them.

"How did all of this happen?" was all that was said between the three of them, when Applejack, without looking away from the scene, compared this view to the happy wedding they were just partaking in, blissfully unaware of their deceit. All the while, Fluttershy and Spike stayed by Rainbow's side, Fluttershy looking toward the crowd while sprawled out on the ground next to Dash looking concerned and worried.

"Oh, how did it all come to this?" she asked herself turning back toward her unconscious and injured friend.

"I don't know. It was all too perfect." Spike said in a sad tone. Celestia quickly composed herself and turned to her sister.

"Luna, What in Equestria is exactly going on here!?" She asked in a frantic tone as the ponies began to get more and more riled. Luna looked at her sister with that smile still on her face.

"Be calm sister, everything is alright, I believe our problems have been solved." She reassured her dear sibling. "I don't-" "Princess! What's happening!" The celestial sisters turned to see the crowd of frightened ponies.

"Everypony please stay calm, everything is-" "Just fine." everypony in the room jumped as they heard a familiar voice all around the room. Luna and Cadence, who upon hearing the voice turned from her frozen fiance and smiled, while Celestia's eyes widened.

"It can't be." She whispered to herself. Soon another golden portal opened and out of it came the Alpha Pokemon himself.

"It's good to see everypony is still safe." Arceus said in a happy tone.

"Lord Arceus!" Arceus looked over to see the Solar Princess up and moving, if a little worn.

"I see you're awake, Celestia. Very good." He said in a neutral tone, Luna and Cadence, noting said attitude.

"Lord Arceus, is Chrysalis-" "Not to worry Cadance, she won't be bothering you anymore." He answered prematurely. Once those words escaped the Alpha Pokemon's mouth, everypony except the Elements and Spike began to cheer, those mentioned, looking around as the ponies celebrated a victory they held no part of.

"WE'RE SAVED!" They all cheered.

 _Pokemon: Advanced_

Arceus didn't care for the cheers though, a silent rage still settled within him. And he didn't want to unleash it until everypony who wasn't involved was gone. He quickly turned and identified Shining's immobile status and Rainbow's unconsciousness. Without a second thought, a quick light shone in his eyes, and Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor came back to the land of the living, both immediately opening their eyes.

"Uh...I..is the wedding over?" Shining asked rubbing his head, clearly a little loopy due to whatever spell he was under.

"Hrrrgh….What...the wedding's over…...what about my Rainboom?" Rainbow said also rubbing her head as Fluttershy dropped down to the ground to make sure Dash was ok. Arceus merely rolled his eyes and suppressed the urge to growl.

"Ponies of Equestria, I understand you all have been through alot today, but you need not worry anymore. The Changeling Queen and her subjects have been dealt with and will no longer be a threat to you." Arceus announced, causing the ponies to once again cheer and praise the Alpha Pokemon. Celestia, still trying to get over her shock, stood flabbergasted at first, but still eventually smiled and nodded at Arceus who in turn just looked at her with silent stare.

"Now, I understand you all were expecting a wedding today, but I feel that the Princesses, as well as Shining Armor and the 'Bearers of Harmony' need to rest for a while before they can continue with the proceedings. So I'd like everypony except for those mentioned to calmy exit the throne room, go home, and relax." Arceus said in a gentle tone. Everypony in the room looked at one another and then to the Solar Princess, who in turn smiled at them and nodded. With that, the wedding guests, except for the Princesses, Shining Armor, the Elements, and Spike, all left the throne room not knowing what was going to happen when the large doors close. Once everypony was out of the room, Arceus turned around and sighed.

"First off, is everypony alright?" He said in a calm tone. Celestia stood up and walked over to the Alpha Pokemon.

"Yes, and thank you, Lord Arceus. You've saved our lives. No, you saved Canterlot and Equestria. We couldn't be anymore grateful." She said with a smile.

"Anything for an old friend. I couldn't leave you all to such a horrible fate." Arceus said in a neutral tone. Celestia continued to smile as she nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me you were here? It's obvious Luna and Cadence knew, and I would've been more than happy to accommodate you." The Solar Princess said with a smile, glad to see an old, friendly face in a stressful time like this. Arceus, however, then fully turned toward Celestia, and while his expression remained the same as usual, his tone carried all the emotion his face couldn't convey.

"Well, it appeared to me that you were all too concerned with your precious wedding. I didn't think you had time for an 'old friend'." Celestia went to reply quickly to the Pokemon's words, but stopped herself, recoiling slightly from his implication. She put on a reluctant smile, trying to defuse what she hoped wouldn't become a bigger issue.

"I...Of course I would make time. Why wouldn't I take the time to see someone I owe so much to." She answered, trying to understand what Arceus was trying to convey with his tone.

"Hmph. Well I suppose the Element of Magic hasn't done enough to gain your favor, even after all these years, Well, you are a busy pony though, it's understandable." Arceus responded, garnering an immediate reaction from the princess at the mention of Twilight, combined with his razor sharp delivery.

"How...how did you…" She asked, baffled by how much he was aware of, even after centuries of knowing the being.

"Hm? Something wrong? I didn't touch a nerve mentioning your prized pupil, did I?" Arceus was getting rather forward in his approach, Celestia taking a step back and looking down to compose herself before looking back up at the Alpha Pokemon.

"I don't know what you _think_ you're insinuating, but after what I've been through today, I'm not in the mood to play games Arceus. I appreciate what you did today, as much as what you did back then, but keep your muzzle out of the affairs of my ponies. Especially, Twilight." Celestia was calm and stern in her retort, but Arceus could see through her resolve, and after a quick raise of the eyebrow, he continued.

"Always straight to the point. I see. So it appears I'm not allowed to 'intervene' as it were, when an injustice against the truth and what's right appears before my eyes. Noble to the core, Princess." Celestia, now scowling, stepped forward again.

"A little over dramatic, aren't we? What does this have to do with Twilight? You can't-" "You know exactly how this concerns Twilight Sparkle!" Arceus interjected with glowing eyes and billowing voice. Celestia drew back, once again, uncharacteristically intimidated, as were the other ponies in the room.

"Ms. Sparkle did everything in her power to convince you all of the dangers present in this city, whether she knew their origins or not. She gave you every opportunity to stop this and you turned your back on her." Arceus continued, voice significantly lowered, the Elements winced at the mention of Twilight and what happened. Celestia, did her best to keep her composure, but she was failing miserably.

"Wait...turned our backs on her...what are you talking about?" Everyone's attention was now on Shining Armor, who had almost sheepishly stepped forward. "That's not how I remember it at all." He said in a serious tone, gaining resolve. Arceus looked to the young captain and decided to humor him.

"OH really now. Then go on and tell us what happened and be sure to go into _extreme_ detail." He requested, knowing full well what his reply would be. Celestia winced at what Shining was about to say, but she didn't know the whole story since she was unconscious, meaning intervening now wouldn't help in the slightest. The Mane 5 (minus Rainbow Dash), Spike, Luna and Cadance on the other hoof knew the whole truth and knew why Arceus was doing this. Cadence was the one who wanted to hear this the most, she just wanted to confirm what the Chrysalis said to her and if her story matched up with his. She looked on at her fiance, knowing in her heart that after all the time she spent with her and Shining over the years, he could never turn his back on Twily. Never. At least, that is what she truly believed

"From...what I remember...Twilight had been speaking nonsense before and during the wedding rehearsal. She kept going on and on about how….Cadance shouldn't be the one I marry...or something like that and...and then she not only insulted Cadance she called her evil an- and chased her out of the room. As far as I was concerned, Twilight went too far. So...I did the one thing I thought was appropriate…" Cadance gritted her teeth, but waited for Shining to say his final word. "I told her she wasn't welcome at the wedding and that she wasn't my best mare anym-ARGH!" Shining was then cut off by a very hard punch to the face that sent him face first onto the floor. Everypony in the room except for Luna and Arceus gasped at what just happened, while Shining was nursing his cheek.

"OW! Wh-what was that-uh?" Shining quickly looked up to identify his attacker with an angry glare, only to see the princess of love standing over him with a rattled and shaken, look on her face, heavily breathing and slightly shaking. Not even she was sure what she just did, But when she heard him say those words, her eyes widened and she instinctively sent her hoof flying forward. Shining, upon seeing his fiance like this, immediately gained an equally rattled expresion. For a few moments, the only sounds in the throne room were Cadence's heavy breathes, as the two just looked at each other, and everyone else looked at them.

"How could you….HOW DARE YOU!" She screamed causing Shining and everypony in the room Even Arceus to flinch. "SHE'S YOUR SISTER, YOUR FAMILY! HOW DARE YOU KICK HER OUT LIKE SHE WAS NOTHING!" Cadance yelled with tears streaming down her face. Shining Armor was overwhelmed. Not only did his fiance punch him, but now she was yelling as him at the top of her lungs. His brain was on overdrive, trying to process it all at once. Celestia had finally had enough and got in front of her niece.

"That's enough Cadenza, You are out of li-" "Sister, you have no right intervening here." Celestia then turned to see her sister walking up with the same glare that Cadance wore.

"What are you talking about Luna, You weren't even there. How could you possibly-" "Know that you turned your back on Lady Sparkle, I think that answer is pretty obvious." Luna said in a cold tone. Celestia stared bewildered at her sister, only for a lightbulb to go off in her head. She then turned to Arceus who she could swear was smirking at her had it not been for his emotionless face.

"Arceus, how long have you been here?" She asked in a quiet tone. Arceus stared at the Solar Princess for a good minute before answering.

"Since the Bearers of Harmony arrived in Canterlot, I wanted to see you and Luna after all this time. So I decided to pay you both a visit, but to come back here after all this time and see what you and the so call Bearers of Harmony have done to one of your own, one such as young Twilight. I must say I was very disappointed." Arceus said shaking his head. The Mane 5 and Spike all lowered their heads in shame after hearing that. Shining through all that, didn't once break eye contact with Cadence, who was still glaring at him.

"What happened….why are you so angry with me, she made you-" "That wasn't me you idiot!" Cadence said with a growl. Shining flinched once again closed his mouth. "And even if it was me, you don't ever, EVER, turn your back on your family!" Cadence said. Celestia then spoke up again.

"Cadance you need to calm down you-" "No Sister, She has as much of a right to speak up as you or I do." Luna interjected again, hoof firmly in front of her sister. Celestia, not happy the way this has played out, pushed Luna's hoof out of the way, turning toward the princess of the night.

"Luna, what has gotten into you! I understand your concern but Cadence has taken it too far."

"Don't try and intervene and mediate a problem you caused yourself, Sister. Cadence speaks the truth." Luna replied, now eyeing her sister down as well. Celestia scoffed.

"That I caused? Luna, you expect me to-"

"I expect you to realize when you've made a fatal error before things get out of hoof. If you had just listened to-"

"Listened to what, sister? The words of an overly emotional, overprotective, and momentarily delusional _filly?!"_ Celestia snapped back, finally reaching her limit, battling ponies from all sides, still drained physically and emotionally after her encounter with Chrysalis. She was breathing heavy, and for those brief few moments, despite staring at her sister, she didn't register anything. It was only after a couple of seconds that she realized the look her sister was giving her. One not of rage or anger, but shock, with an undertone of disappointment. And soon after, Celestia realised the deafening silence that permeated throughout the throne, Cadence and Shining's argument had gone quiet and everypony in the room looked at Celestia with either shock, some select few more closely resembling disgust. However, there was one pony whose expression was nothing short of indescribable. She had turned toward Celestia, eyes widened, and expression plain. She just sat there looking almost confused at her aunt.

"Delusional?" A single word, shattering the silence, paired with a tone that could only be described as quietly baffled. And after that, her expression changed to one of vexation. And with that glare, she began to walk toward the princess.

"Overly emotional? Overprotective?" She repeated, continuing to walk toward Celestia, whose face had turned from anger, to one close to fear.

"Cadence...I….I didn't-"

"The only pony here acting like filly here, quite honestly, is you, Celestia!" She interrupted with an outstretched hoof, causing Celestia to flinch back at her nieces anger.

"Too caught up in a stupid wedding to see what was right in front of you this whole time. I was rotting in a cave for weeks. _Weeks_!" Cadence cried out, tears forming in her eyes as she remembered how cold and lonely she was across those torturous days and nights. All the while, Celestia, who has heard nothing of this, looked at the ragged alicorn, not knowing all the hardship she had been put through over these weeks. She went to bring a hoof to Cadence's face, to wipe off the tears that were now spilling down her face, only to be met with a firm "smack" as Cadence brought her hoof up to block Celestia's advances.

"No! Don't act sorry! After all of that time, not a single pony, not even you, recognized that something was wrong, that I wasn't myself." she yelled, not wanting her aunt's pity. Celestia looked away, still unable to believe she had been deceived for weeks, especially the identity of her own niece.

"Until Twilight came." Cadence continued, causing Celestia's eyes to widen, quickly turning back toward the pink alicorn.

"Until Twilight came and realised something was wrong in, what? All of two seconds? A pony I hadn't seen in years realised something was wrong faster than my own aunt." She said, eyes going back to their deadpan glare, hurting Celestia even more then she had during her battle with Chrysalis. Cadence then closed her eyes with strain, slowly turning around toward Shining Armor.

"A pony I hadn't seen me in years knew me better then my own fiance." She continued, tears now streaming down her face. Shining couldn't do anything, except watch as the pony he had been dreaming of for all of those years, cry over his failure as a fiance. "And what did you do." Cadence, continued, eyes now closed again with tears still coating her face, she then quickly turned around the room, yelling at everypony at once.

"Dismissed her!" She yelled as she turned toward the Elements. "Degrade her!" She yelled as she turned back toward Celestia. "And punished her for trying to convince you wedding obsessed ponies, that maybe something was off, which there most certainly was!" She finished, stomping toward Shining Armor, now thoroughly in his face.

"She is your sister. You mean the world to her as much now, as you did when she was just a filly. And after she shows concern for not just your safety, but the safety of everypony attending our wedding, you turn around and abandon her, because what? She was an embarrassment? A burden? A 'momentarily delusional filly?'" She asked, turning back toward Celestia for the last part. She then lowered her head and slowly turned back toward Shining.

"She's as much family to me as you are. But no matter what anypony else says or thinks, you have to be there for her, when nopony else will. Even if those ponies are her 'best friends' orr 'wise princesses.' I thought you understood that. I thought you understood what it meant to be loyal to those you care about. I thought...I thought you were loyal to those who care about _you_. Everypony in the room stayed silent as they waited for the Princess of Love to finish her rant. Cadence then, through gritted teeth and heavy heart, said four simple words

"This wedding is off." Cadence said it quietly and calmly, although every cell in her heart was splitting apart at the realization of what all this meant.

" _I can't believe I'm doing this."_ She thought to herself. There was a moment of silence after Cadance spoke and surprisingly it was Arceus who broke the silence.

"I'll be honest, I didn't expect her to say that." He said in a neutral tone.

"I don't think any of us did." Luna said slightly shocked at her niece's decision. Celestia, the Mane 5, Spike, and especially Shining Armor, just kept staring at The Princess of Love who at this very moment was looking like she was about to explode.

"Cadance...you...you can't be serious, we...we've been through-" "I know what we've been through Shining and you have meant, and you do still mean the world to me….I just….I can't go through with this anymore. Not after all of this." Cadance said looking away from her 'Fiance'. Shining felt as if his entire world had fallen apart, he wanted nothing more than to be with the mare standing in front of him, and now that very mare was saying that the wedding was over.

"But...but…" Shining was at a loss for words.

"Cadence...Please...Don't you think that's a bit extreme?" Celestia asked in a concerned tone.

"No...no I don't." Cadance said in a somber tone. The Elements couldn't believe what they were hearing, the wedding that all of them have helped plan was being cancelled, after everything that happened.. Rarity then stepped forward, although very begrudgingly.

"Princess Cadenza, I know I'm speaking out of turn….but….Princess Celestia's right. This is going too far." Rarity stated, trying to sound as less offensive as possible. Despite her attempts, hearing this Cadance to grit her teeth.

"She's right Princess, after everything we put into getting this wedding ready, you can't just call it off like that. It ain't fair to your families. It ain't fair to Shining. It ain't fair to...well, anypony." Applejack said. Pinkie, Spike, Fluttershy and surprisingly Rainbow Dash kept quiet knowing what Rarity and Applejack's words were doing to the princess. Cadence then turned to the Element Bearers and Spike with a glare.

"I can do whatever the Tartarus I want because it's my choice, and my life. Fair or not!" She loudly retorted. "And you're right Rarity, you are speaking out of turn and neither you, nor any of Twilight's 'friends' have any room to talk to me about this matter. You all are just as much at fault here as Shining Armor and Celestia." Cadance said. The Element Bearers and Spike lowered their heads. Cadence turned away, preparing to once again address Celestia about her comment toward Twilight, however...

"Maybe we did mess up…"

"Huh?" Cadence reacted, slowly turning back toward the group, to find one Rainbow Dash with her head held low, and a solemn look in her eyes.

"I'm the Element of Loyalty, and I still cared more about a dumb wedding just because it gave me the opportunity to show off…" She then looked up toward Cadence, her eyes fueled with adrenaline and strong emotion.

"But don't go prancing around like you know Twilight better than us!"

"Excuse me!" Cadence responded, stepping toward the pegasus.

"You may have known her back then, but us and Twilight have risked our lives for each other. We know Twilight! When she's upset, when she's keeping a secret, and especially when she goes in over her head and starts to go off the deep end! And if you don't know that side of Twilight, then you don't know Twilight!"

Cadence was now muzzle to muzzle with Rainbow, and they were staring each other down. But as Rainbow Dash spoke, she did remember all of Twilight's over the top and over dramatic moments. She remained silent, not having anything to say.

"And yeah, we bucked up. We bucked up bad. But I know that I would always be there for Twilight when she needs me. So does everypony else you just berated!"

"Yeah!" They all said replied. Rarity in particular stepped forward.

"I know these ponies care for Twilight just as much as you do, Princess. I would bet my life on that. But after everything we've gone through, I know that after what we did today, Twilight has every right to be absolutely furious. But we are willing to fight for our friendship. Twilight showed me that, she fought for our friendship. And a proper lady never lets a deed like that go unrepaid. So while you may be willing to give up on your marriage, I'm not going to allow you to tell me that I have to give up on my friend." Rarity responded with confidence and poise, getting a look from Cadence that showed she wanted to speak, but could not.

Rainbow and Rarity stood side by side, looking at Cadence while the entire room looked on at the three in silence. Cadence stayed quiet for several minutes, before she began again.

"You think you're noble." Cadence said quietly

Rarity and Rainbow lost their confident looks and just stared at the princess.

"You think that because you are willing to right your wrongs, that everything will be ok. That because you were the closest of friends, that as long as you consider yourself the closest of friends, that she'll be ok." Cadence took another step forward, prompting the two in front of her to flinch back.

"You think you know what she feels!" Cadence raised her voice.

"Just because you are willing to fight for something doesn't mean you should. You think I don't want to marry Shining Armor? You think I'm not commited? No! I just know that after what happened today, I can't justify fighting for him anymore, that there will be something missing, that I will remember what happened forever. I want to fight so bad...but I know I shouldn't."

The ponies around the room all had their mouths agape, and their eyes were widening as Cadence released what she was only letting out earlier as pent up aggression. The two of them, who were just the same as everypony else in the room at this point, had triggered something in Cadence's complex web of emotions, a web that had never been so tangled before in her life.

"Twilight...I know she feels the same. She just wants to feel loved. She wants to feel whole. But if you keep fighting for her...the same thing that happened to me will happen to her. She will always remember this betrayal. She will always want things to go back the way they were. But she will always remember today, and that will….tear...her apart...on the inside." Cadence ended with strained words, her hoof to her chest as she let everything out. She looked up at the two mares.

"The fact that you are so ready to make amends is exactly why she doesn't deserve you right now. I didn't see you running before now. You weren't desperate to make sure she was ok. You just knew it would be better later. That's why I need to find her. That's why you failed her. You were friends that ignored her, pretended you knew what she was like, and didn't care about the consequences. She doesn't need any of you right now!: Cadence concluded with heavy breath as the two in front of her scrambled to find the right words to comeback with. All Rainbow could muster after dangling her mouth open for a few moments was…

"And why does she need you so much."

She knew those were a conceited and petty choice of words, that made it look like Dash valuing herself as a higher friend and stronger confidant than Cadence, which was a bad thing to insinuate after what had happened. She expected to hear another round of "Because I didn't betray her." But instead…

"..."

Momentary silence, Rarity and Dash, who were wincing in anticipation, rose their heads to find Cadence looking to the side, toward the window, gazing at the smoke rising from the chapal, she just turned and replied.

"Because I can bring things back to the way they were."

She began running, swift and determined, toward the door. She was going to find Twilight, and Celestia save anyone who got in her way. However,Celestia herself saw this and quickly made a move to go after her niece.

"Cadence wait!" Celestia called out only to be cut off by her sister.

"I think you've done enough sister." Luna said in a cold tone. Celestia stared down her sister and gritted her teeth.

"Get out of my way Luna!" She said trying to push Luna away.

"No!" Luna yelled before pushing her sister back.

"Leave her be, the last thing she or even Twilight needs right now is to see you, her brother, or those six. She needs somepony...who needs her just as much. And right now...that's Cadence." She said. Arceus nodded in agreement while Celestia gave a pained expression. Luna then turned and began walking away. "Lady Sparkle has done so much for me, and I owe her everything in return" She turned to the Elements, Rarity and Rainbow unmoving at the front of the group.

"I equally am in your debt, but after what happened today, I am afraid you have lost my respect." Luna then turned to Shining Armor.

"And you, Captain. I hope you're proud of yourself." With that Luna walked out of the throne room to Find Twilight and Cadance leaving everypony in the room except Arceus to let Luna's words linger in their minds.

 _With Cadence…_

Cadence ran down the castle hallway to the one place Twilight might be.

"If I know Twilight, she'll be in the castles library. She would always go there when she feels like sulking." Cadance said. Once she got to the doors of the library, she paused before taking a deep breath and quickly opening them. She looked around and saw that it was completely empty, probably on account of the wedding attracting all of castle's personnel.

Twilight!" Cadance called out, but there was no reply.

"Twily it's Cadence…. It's really me! Please come out!" Cadance said walking through the library.

"It's possible she's in her room." A voice from behind her echoed throughout the large, empty room, causing Cadance to jump up and turn to see Luna standing in the the doorway.

"But..but I-" "I understand...From the short amount of time I've known Lady Sp...Twilight, this would be the first place I would look for her as well." Luna said cutting Cadance off. Cadence put a hoof on her head and sighed. "I need to find her." She said to herself mainly. Her head pounded as she took a second to breathe. To think. To think mainly about the events that had just transpired. And as she did, her breathing got quicker and rougher, her eyes bolting shut in an attempt to hold in the tears. She had just run away from her fiance after yelling at him and hitting him. She had just had her dream day ruined for her, and had her love life crumble around her. And to top it off, nopony even noticed she had been replaced.

Aside from one pony. One pony who not only saw the truth, but tried to stop something terrible for happening. And now, they both were hurting. Once she heard that, all she could do was yell and run. She needed to find Twilight, to comfort her. Twilight needed her. But the more she thought about, and conversely the more tears that flowed from her eyes while she thought about it, the more she realized that right now, she needed Twilight just as much.

Cadence looked up to Luna, who had been watching Cadence's internal struggle with a hoof on her back and a look of love on her face. Upon seeing her, Cadence cringed once again, eyes snapping shut as she quietly wept, looking up at her with her head down once more, beginimh to speak with a strained and almost lost voice

"Luna, I... * _sniff*_...I'm sorry, I...I'm confused, a-and I'm...angry...and I just need...I just need to find Twilight right now. I just need to hear her voice and...I just need to know….need for her to know….that there is someone who cares and…* _sniff*_...I just need to find her."

Luna just kept her hoof on her back, nodding with a small smile, knowing that Cadence would rise past this phase. She knew she wasn't the type of pony to let this kind of situation control her... at least not for long.

"I understand, Cadence, and we will. Now come, we'll head to her room." Luna said patting her niece on the back. Cadence nodded and the two walked out of the library. The two mares walked in silence, Luna curiously looking over to Cadence, not being able to read her niece's expression. After a while, Luna broken the quiet.

"Are you alright?" She asked, hoping to see some improvement after what had happened in the library.

"I'll be fine once we find Twilight." Cadence said in a serious tone. Luna squinted, giving her niece a concerned look. She had hoped for a recovery, but one so sudden could be problematic.

"Cadence, you can talk to me dear niece. If something is amiss, please do-" Luna began, before Cadence turned toward her aunt with a dismissive hoof raise.

"I know that Aunt Luna, I know. I don't feel like talking right now, I just need...I just need to think." Cadence replied weakly before turning around and walking on. Luna watched as Cadence walked forward through the hall, expression still as impossible to read as before. She wanted to worry, she wanted to ask her niece to talk more. But if she had gotten to know Cadence, its that she knew how to handle her emotions. She knew how to not let her feelings keep her from doing the right thing. She has made her own choices, and now all Luna could do was hope Cadence could keep herself from making the same mistake she did all those years ago...and that Celestia wouldn't allow those feelings to fester.

"Come on." Cadance said, finally arriving at Twilight's room, and swiftly opening the door. The two mares shuffled in and began looking around the room. As it was one of the castle's many suites, they searched all of the rooms, calling out her name and looking everywhere that Twilight could feasibly be. "Oh, where in Tartarus is she!?" Cadence said in an irritated tone.

"Cadence, we must remain-" "Calm, calm, I know. Always remain calm." Cadence interupted almost mockingly. Without even having to look at the young alicorn, Cadence turned toward Luna after a brief moment with a look of resignation of her face.

"I'm sorry." Cadance said looking down, closing her eyes as she tried to calm herself down. Luna gave the younger Alicorn a smile and put a hoof on her head.

"It's alright dear niece, now come we still need to find Lady-" Before Luna could finish her sentence, a golden portal opened up in front of them.

"Lord Arceus?" Cadance asked.

"It appears he's summoning us." Luna said. Cadence nodded and both alicorns walked through the portal.

 _With Arceus, A Few Minutes Ago…._

Arceus watched as both Cadance and Luna took their leave and looked back at Celestia, Shining Armor, The Elements and Spike who all had mixed looks of guilt and shock.

"You all are lucky, you know. This could have gone a lot worse." He said in a neutral tone. Celestia then looked to the Alpha Pokemon and growled.

"You must be joking? My niece hates me, so does my sister probably, Shining Armor was walked out on by the mare he loved on the day of his wedding, and we've….we've abandoned the Element of Magic! So tell me, How could things possibly get worse!" Celestia asked getting into the Alpha Pokemons face. Arceus didn't flinch, he just stared at the angry alicorn and answered her question, noting her notice of Twilight's abandonment.

"Things can always get worse, Celestia, and this day is a perfect example of that." He said. Celestia had nothing to say, the Alpha Pokemon was right. This day has been nothing but a disaster, but it had started out so, so beautifully. Arceus looked around the room again and saw that everypony else was still experiencing the same shame Celestia was. And upon seeing that, he felt thoroughly satisfied

"Well, I think this is a good time for me to take my leave." Arceus then opened up a golden portal before turning to Celestia again. "I wish it were under better circumstances Celestia, but it was good to see you again." Arceus then turned his back and began to walk away. Celestia, stunned at first that Arceus would have been just as blunt about leaving as everything else he done today, quickly shook that off and began to call to Arceus, before she was quickly silenced.

"So that's it?" Arceus stopped moving and turned his head to Shining Armor who had tears in his eyes, and a look of turmoil on his face. "You just come along, save us, give us a brutal lecture and then leave?" Shining asked not looking the Alpha Pokemon in the eyes, not wanting to give the Pokemon that decency.

"That was the plan." Arceus said harshly. Shining Armor, in a moment of brief rage, instantly turned to face at the Alpha Pokemon, tears being flung as he looked. .

"Then why can't you help us make this right?" He asked with a sob. Arceus kept looking at Shining Armor for a moment, silence permeating around the room, before slowly shaking his head.

"Because you don't deserve it." Arceus said in a cold tone. Shining's eyes widened at the Alpha Pokemon's words, but before he could add anything Arceus continued. "None of you deserve my help and even if you did, I highly doubt you could fix what has happened these past few days. This was brought on by your own carelessness, short-sightedness, and ignorance. And most of all, it was brought on my the neglect of one you all claim to respect and admire so much. As an entity admired and respected from my own world, it's easy to tell when those who claim to idolize you, turn out to know nothing of who you truly are." Arceus took a deep breath.

"Perhaps some of this could have been prevented if I was less cautious. I was watching young Twilight, hoping you would side with her in her time of need, somepony at least. Poor judgement, it seems, on my part. If I had done something sooner, maybe I could have stopped this, at least maybe have lessened the damage." Arceus lamented, turning toward the large window, looking down at the ruined chapel. He quickly turned back toward the ponies. "But this isn't my world. I can't just attack those spontaneously and without warning. From past experience I know things tend to go smoother when I refrain from involving." Arceus said. The Elements and Spike looked at the Alpha Pokemon with wide eyes upon deciphering his words.

"You were...you were watching us this whole time?" Rarity asked.

"YOU MEAN YOU COULD HAVE-" "Rainbow Dash, that's enough!" Rainbow flinched and looked to Shining Armor, who had glanced back toward the pegasus.

"But he-" "I said enough!" Rainbow shrunk and closed her mouth. Shining Armor then looked back to Arceus.

"This is my fault and only I can fix it. I...I can worry about my marriage...later. But I can possibly help my sister." Shining said standing up. "I need to find her," He said.

"She won't want to-" "I DON'T CARE!" Shining yelled cutting Arceus off. "You don't get to decide what she wants and doesn't want! She needs to know I'm sorry and even if she doesn't forgive me at least she'll know." He said. Celestia saw the determination in Shining's eyes and she nodded.

"He's right, we've made a mistake and she needs to know we're sorry." She said. The Elements and Spike took in the princess's words, looked amongst themselves, and stepped forward with a nod.

"She's right, we have to find her!" Rainbow said in a confident tone. Arceus looked around and shook his head once again, as the ponies went off into their own little world once again.

"Ok, if we were Twilight, where would we be right now?" Applejack asked.

"Probably the-" DON'T...waste your time." Everypony in the room turned to the golden portal that was still opened and saw Luna and Cadence walking out of it.

"She's not in the castle library or in her room." Luna clarified, looking forward toward the group. Celestia, still ashamed, couldn't look her sister in the eyes and Shining Armor couldn't look at Cadence directly either.

"She must have gone back to Ponyville." Pinkie suggested.

"I can check." Celestia said before closing her eyes, Her horn then began to glow, and she quickly began using her magic to find Twilight's exact location. After a few minutes, Celestia opened her eyes with a sharp intake of air, as she stumbled forward, now breathing heavy with a confused and slightly terrified look on her face.

"Sister, what is it?" Luna asked, bewildered by her sister's intense reaction.

"I...I can't find her! By the sun, I can't find her!" Celestia said in a panic. Everypony, with the exception of Arceus, looked at Celestia with worry in their eyes.

"What do you mean you can't find her!?" Cadence asked loudly.

"I've checked everywhere, Ponyville, Fillydelphia, Manehattan, everywhere! It's like she's not in Equestria anymore." Celestia explained. Everypony gasped, not sure what to even say.

"What in the...Come on now! She can't just be gone!" Applejack said.

"Princess, please! You have to keep looking!" Fluttershy pleaded.

"Yeah! She couldn't have just vanished into thin air." Pinkie said in an uncharacteristically worried tone. Celestia just shook her head.

"She's just...not here. I don't understand." She said putting a hoof on her head. Arceus watched the scene unfold in front of him and her sighed.

"I said I wouldn't help you fix this, but I'll at least put your minds at ease." Everypony looked at the Alpha Pokemon in confusion. "Twilight is safe. That I can guarantee" He said in a calm tone. Everypony looked at Arceus in shock.

"Ho...how do you know this?" Celestia asked curiously.

"Because I know where she is." Arceus explained. The group all had a faint glimmer of hope in their eyes, and Celestia gave Arceus a small smile.

"Thank the heavens, I was so scared. Please, _please_ Arceus, tell us where she is." She said in a hopeful tone. Arceus looked into the rounds of Celestia's eyes and said a single word.

"No!" He answered.

"Excuse me?"

"I said no." Arceus repeated. Celestia, The Elements, Spike, Shining Armor, Luna,and Cadance all looked at the Alpha Pokemon in shock once again.

"Wh-why not!?" Rainbow asked in a angry tone.

"What part of 'you all don't deserve my help' do you not understand?" Arceus asked. The ponies all looked at him with either glares or wide eyes, Rainbow Dash falling under the former.

"You can't be serious! Tell us where she is!?" Rainbow demanded.

"Watch your tone little mare, lest you want the same treatment as that Changeling." Arceus said in a dark tone. Celestia then stepped up to Arceus.

"Enough! Lord Arceus please, just tell us where she is. Who knows what could happening to her as we speak." She pleaded.

"Believe me Celestia, she's far better off where she is now than with all of you." Arceus said.

"THAT'S IT!" Before anyone could blink, Rainbow charged the Alpha pokemon at full speed. Arceus rolled his eyes before making the pegasus stop in mid-air, a shining blue aura surrounding her still figure.

 **Psychic!**

Rainbow had instantly stopped in mid air inches away from the Alpha Pokemon's face.

"This must feel very familiar, hm?" Arceus said before quickly launching Rainbow into the throne across the room, the impact causing her to bounce off and land on her side with a 'thud'.

"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy yelled before running over to the cyan mare, currently on the ground, rubbing her head.

"Awww." She groaned in pain.

"Are you alright, Dashie?" Fluttershy asked, concerned for her childhood friend, as the rest of her friends ran over to surround the two.

"I'm fine Shy." She answered before looking toward the Alpha Pokemon with utter rage.

"If you'd like another go, I'll be happy to send you through the window this time." Arceus said.

"Arceus that's enough! I won't have you hurting my subjects." Celestia said with a glare.

"You seem to have no problem hurting Twilight but when it's somepony else who gets hurt, you're suddenly the flawless princess once again." Arceus said. Celestia wanted to make a comeback, but knew that she couldn't. It would just be more of the same belittling points he had already made, and Celestia couldn't handle anymore talk of her failure's as a mentor and princess. Arceus then felt a tap on his leg, causing him to quickly turn around and allowing him to see Cadence.

"Where is she?" She asked calmly and politely. Arceus kept looking at the pink Alicorn and then to the Elements, Celestia, Shining, and Spike, and then back to Cadance.

"They-" "I don't care, I just want to see her. Please Lord Arceus, I'm begging you." Cadence begged, tears running down her muzzle. Arceus kept looking at the pink Alicorn and eventually sighed.

"I try to be serious and you do this to me. Alright, I'll tell you where she is." Everypony in the room gave a small smile, but Arceus glared at Celestia, Shining, the Mane 5 and Spike. "Your jubilation sickens me."

"Just tell me where my sister is." Shining asked coldly

"If that is what you so desire." Arceus then closed his eyes, his body glowing brightly, causing the ponies in the room to squint and cover their eyes. Soon, the bright onslaught on their retinas stopped, and only a dim glow remained. As the ponies looked back, a circular glowing hole had appeared, floating right next to the Alpha Pokemon. It was similar to all of the wormholes Arceus had used to go from place to place before. However, this one showed the ponies in the throne room a sight far more interesting. Through the hole, showed a view of two….creatures. They were sitting down under a tree in what appeared to be some kind of forest. One appeared to be male, while the other was clearly female. Nopony in that room had any idea what they were looking at, or why for that matter. These creatures were unfamiliar to them, even the princesses looked with moderate confusion. They seemed rather tall, and wore strange clothes as well. They appeared bipedal, although it was hard to tell since they were sitting. And all the while the ponies were thinking these things to themselves in their head, they watched motionlessly with no understanding. The creatures were just talking. They couldn't hear anything through the hole, but their mouths were moving, indicating a conversation between the two of them. The ponies just stared at these two for some time, before somepony broke the deafening silence.

"What in the hay are we looking at right now! You said you were showing us where Twi is not….whatever those are." AJ interjected, clearly confused as she turned back toward the two beings he was showing them.

"Hmph. You would think the saviors of this realm would have even the most commonest of sense."

"And what exactly does _that_ mean?" Rarity asked, not appreciating the Pokemon's hostile tone.

"I was just assuming that those who claim to be 'best friends' with the Element of Magic would recognise her upon a moment's glance." Arceus answered, lightening his tone as he saw the expressions of the ponies go from confused and angered to perplexed as they stared at each other, and back to the portal. There was a brief moment of this advanced confusion before Celestia took one good look at the female being sitting under the tree. She was laughing, looking toward the one next to her. Celestia took a good look at her purple hair with highlights. Her purple eyes as she reopened them after the laughter. And the purple gem that was placed upon her hat. Celestia eyes widened, and her mouth unhinged, falling down as she stared speechless. It was impossible. It was unthinkable. And yet, the evidence was right in front of her.

"Is...is that..Twilight!?" The solar Princess asked in shock. Everypony in the room looked to Celestia with wide eyes and then back to the portal.

"Oh...my!" Cadance said putting a hoof on her muzzle.

"It can't be." Applejack said. Shining Armor walked up to the portal and stared at the purple haired female.

"Twily?" He said in a soft tone. Princess Luna, the rest of the Mane 5 and Spike all just stared at the portal and saw the girl they assumed was Twilight, who was now looking quite angry at the male next to her.

"As you can see, Ms. Sparkle is fine." Arceus said. Celestia slowly got over her shock and looked over to Arceus.

"But...how...why is she...What happened to her!?" Celestia asked in a frantic tone.

"After you and Ms. Sparkle's friends left her, I decided to intervene. She was hurting, very much so, and I...I couldn't watch it any longer. Let's just say I...know the feeling, as you would say. So, I offered her a chance to start anew in the world I come from, and accepted said offer." Arceus explained. Everypony in the room took in the Alpha pokemons words and after about a minute Cadence spoke up.

"What...what is she? She's obviously not a pony." She asked, desperately curious for an answer.

"You see, my world is inhabited by creatures called 'humans' and that's what Twilight is right now. The human next to her is...well let me say he is a worthy partner for her." Arceus explained to the group. The group had so many questions for the Alpha pokemon, but he spoke up again before they started. "You see the two of them are on a journey through one of my world's many regions. I won't go into too much detail, but she is...growing. She is with good company and making great strides." He said in a proud tone. However, Shining didn't take too kindly to some random stranger watching over his sister.

"Well we know where she is, let's go get her!" Rainbow said in a confident tone.

"Yes, we must bring her home." Celestia said with a nod. Arceus quickly closed the portal and shook his head.

"I can't allow that" He bellowed.

"Excuse me!?" Celestia said her anger returning.

"She is going nowhere with you! Young Twilight is finally starting to heal and the last thing she needs is for you to reopen old wounds." Arceus said before he felt Cadence tap him again.

"Listen, Young Cadence, I know you're worried, but-" "Is she safe?" Cadance asked cutting Arceus off. Arceus was unprepared, to say the least, for the question, but answered quickly.

"With her current company, yes, yes she is." He said.

"Is she happy?" Cadance asked. Arceus quickly nodded

"Yes." He answered honestly. Cadence looked down for a brief moment and closed her eyes, straining the keep them shut as she tried to hold everything in. Luna looked over to her, her eyes hopeful and full of assurance. Assurance that Cadence, despite all that she wanted, would make the right choice.

Cadence opened her eyes, and took a deep breath. She cleared her mind and looked up toward Arceus, before nodding at Alpha pokemon with a small smile.

"Then everything's alright, all I ask is that you watch over her." She said. Arceus nodded at the pink alicorn. Luna looked at Cadence still, a smile on her face as well.

" _She always knows when to let go of her emotions."_ the princess thought to herself.

"Of course." He said. Cadance's smile got bigger as she turned to Luna with a nod, but everypony else's faces weren't nearly as cheery.

"Hold it! You can't just say it's alright and be done with it! That's my sister! And I'd rather have her home with us!" Shining said walking up to the Alpha Pokemon.

"You act as if I care about what you want. And I highly doubt Twilight cares at this very moment either." Arceus said with a growl. Shining glared at the Alpha pokemon.

"You can't just keep her-" "I'm not keeping her anywhere, she chose to leave!" Arceus said cutting Shining Armor off.

"What about our parents!? They'll be worried sick about her." Shining said trying to get control of the argument.

"If she wishes to see them and put their fears to rest, then I will do so. As I said, this was her choice and I would think you would respect that after all that's happened." Arceus said. Shining opened his mouth, but this time no words came out. Arceus knew there was nothing else to say and he turned around.

"I believe I'm done here." He then looked to Luna and Cadance. "I'll be taking my leave you two, I'm sorry my visit wasn't under the best circumstances." Arceus said with a slight bow.

"We understand, it was good to see you and thank you." Luna said as she and Cadance bowed their heads. Arceus nodded and took a slight glance at Shining who was glaring at him, Celestia who looked like she was waiting for something and the Elements, plus Spike, who just looked plain miserable and ancy. " _I wonder what the future holds for them all after this."_ He thought before opening up a golden portal and leaving. There was a few moments of silence before Luna spoke up.

"Well, I suppose that is as they say, that." She said.

" _*Sigh*_ I guess it is." Cadence replied, her head lowered as she took a long breath and pieced together all that had happened, wondering where to go from here. Before Luna could continue, or Cadence could finish her though, everypony was blinded by a bright, golden light. It shone for a few moments, eventually dimming itself Once the light died down, everypony saw a new golden portal had opened.

"What the- where did that come from?" Applejack asked in confusion.

"Did that Arceus jerk come back?" Rainbow asked, wings outstretched.

"No." Everypony turned to see a staggering Celestia.

"I made it." She said.

"What do you mean you made it, sister? W...where does this portal lead?" Luna asked having a pretty good idea on the answer as she widened her stance and looked towards her sister wearily

"Before he left I used a spell to track Lord Arceus and this portal should be able to take me to his world. I'm going to find Twilight and bring her home." Celestia declared. Luna and Cadance looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Are you insane, sister! You can't just leave for another realm. Lady Sparkle has made her choice, I thought by now you would have learned you can't make them for her" Luna said in both concern and anger.

"She's right princess you can't go." Shining said before walking over to the Solar Princess.

"Not alone anyway." He said with determination in his voice. Luna and Cadance both couldn't believe what they were hearing, but before the two Alicorns could interject, Rainbow Dash flew to the two of them with blinding speed.

"I'm going to, no matter what anypony has to say about it!" She said. Hovering above the two of them with a serious expression..

"Us to!" The group turned to the all the Elements, minus Fluttershy who were walking up as well.

"We can't just sit here and feel sorry for ourselves we have to find her and beg for her forgiveness." Rarity said in a confident tone. "I meant what I said. I will fight for our friendship, no matter the chasms I must leap!" Rarity started with a determined posture. She noticed Dash looking at her with almost a proud smile. They nodded to each other, knowing that no matter what Cadence had said, they would make it up to Twilight.

"She's right we have to go." Applejack said. Pinkie Pie gave a nod as well, her mane slightly reinflating, before Celestia spoke up.

"Alright, let's hurry and-" "You all will do no such thing!" The group turned to a very angry looking Cadance and Luna.

"Who do you all think you are?! You can't just force her to come home! She doesn't need this! Why can't you understand that" Cadence cried out.

Luna continued "Not only that, Lord Arceus said-" " **YOU THINK I GIVE TWO FLYING FEATHERS WHAT HE SAYS!** " Celestia said in the Royal Canterlot voice causing everypony to flinch. "This is a personal matter and he had no reason to interfere. While I'm grateful to him for saving us, I refuse to have him tell me what I can and can't do. I take responsibility for Twilight leaving and I owe it to her and this kingdom to make it up to her." Celestia said with a single tear sliding down her face. Cadance and Luna saw this, but knew that deep down, Celestia was still misguided in her attempts

"Listen sister, I understand you don't want to leave things the way they are, but Twilight needs space right now. As odd as this seems, it is what's best for her" Luna said trying to reason with her sister.

"She's right. We need to leave her be. Arceus said she's fine and happy! She can...she can make it out of this mess ok. Her seeing us now would only make things worse. She needs to stay away...from all of us" Cadence said. Luna quickly turned to look at her niece, a hint of concern briefly adorned in her gaze.

"I know what he said...but I don't care, I have to do this and you won't stop me." Celestia said before walking toward the golden portal. Luna scowled and stepped forward. "Celestia you coward! You are only doing this for yourself!" Celestia briefly stopped, and looked down, before taking a deep breath and continuing her march forward with Shining and the Elements, minus Fluttershy and Spike.

"Welp, into the unknown I guess" Applejack said to nopony in particular as she walked through the portal, Pinkie Pie right behind us. "Oh boy, this is gonna get the super weird kinda weird." She commented as she through fully stepped through.

Rarity and Dash were a few steps behind the others, and as they walked forward, they turned to each other.

"Any idea what we are getting ourselves into?" Rarity asked her prismatic partner.

"No clue. All I know is that Twilight is on the other side." Dash answered

"I suppose that's all that matters."

They both continued their last few steps before crossing the threshold.

"Time to fight for our friendship." Rainbow stated, gaining a look from Rarity at the use of her line.

"Time indeed." She answered as they both fully went through.

"By the stars, I can't believe that they- Lady Fluttershy?" Luna spaced out, now seeing the pegasus was still sitting with her mane covering her eyes. Luna and Cadance walked up to her.

"I'm honestly surprised you didn't follow them, what's keeping you here?" Luna asked. Fluttershy looked up at the two princesses, her eyes red and stained with tears.

"Becau...Because you're right!" She said before breaking down again. "We...we...we left her alone! Mr. Arceus is right! We have not right to see her after what we did." Fluttershy said putting her hooves over her face. Luna and Cadance just stared at the Element of Kindness and knew that she was hurting. Cadence looked at the mare's emotions, sadness and guilt in their purest forms. Emotions she had unearthed. In her mind, she felt as if she should feel justified or joyful from this reaction. But her heart told her that those emotions are an infectious disease. After some deliberation, she put a hoof on Fluttershy's head.

"I...may have been speaking from a dark place. I truly didn't mean to...antagonize you like I did, I just...wanted you to understand. I wanted to make you feel my pain at first...but that would make me no better than Chrysalis. Now I can...I can see that you really care about Twilight, don't you?" Cadance asked.

"I do, I really do! I don't know why I left her on her own *sob* when I did I just...I just assumed, I...I don't know…*sob* sob*." Fluttershy continued to ball, her eyes still running and Cadence's hoof still on her mane.

"But just like the other I want to make it up to her." Fluttershy said firmly, but still reeling from the tears. Cadence heard the sincerity in her voice and she gave the young pegasus a small smile. She didn't want to think about how apparently mean she was to this sweet young pegasus, despite justified or not it truly was. She instead chose to focus on helping her out now.

"I can see why the Element of Kindness chose you." She said. Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm not worthy to wear my Element anymore." She said in a lamenting tone. Luna then walked up to Fluttershy.

"If you truly believe that, then I think it's time you earned the right back." She said helping Fluttershy up off the ground. Fluttershy looked at Princess Luna with wide eyes.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Lady Fluttershy it may not be now, but I believe you will win back Lady Sparkle's trust. I have faith in such. It may take work and perseverance, but I believe you can. For now I suggest you think about what you've done and think about what can be done for when you see her again." Luna explained. Fluttershy took the Moon Princess's words to heart and nodded.

"Which might be sooner than you think." Cadence added, turning toward the still active portal. "We have to go after the others and bring them back. I will not let them do this to Twilight." Cadance said walking over to the golden portal. Luna nodded and looked back to Fluttershy.

"I know you're not as outgoing as your friends, so I understand if you-" "I'll help you!" Fluttershy said without hesitation. Luna smiled at the pegasus and the two walked over to Cadance.

"Spike, despite how much I know you would love to reconcile with Twilight, we need at least one pony to stay here and guard the portal from this side. Can you do that?" Luna asked calmly.

Spike looked up to the Princess of the Night and gave a determined salute, garnering a small chuckle from her.

"Well, this is going to be a new experience." Cadance said getting butterflies in her stomach.

"I know what you mean Cadenza, venturing in a new world wasn't what I expected to happen when I returned." Luna said getting nervous as well.

"I just hope we can get back in one piece." Fluttershy said, after the pep talk somehow the most brazen of the three, yet still nervous in her own ways as well..

"Don't worry Lady Fluttershy, we shall." Luna said reassuring the young pegasus.

" _*Sigh*_ Here we go." Cadence said before starting to walk towards the portal with Luna and Fluttershy following close behind.

" _For Twilight"_ She thought as everything went quiet as she passed through the glowing circle.

 _Present_

"I SAID GO AWAY!" Twilight yelled. The first sound Cadence heard upon stepping out of the portal was shockingly Twilight's violent scream, alarming the princess immediately, setting off every alarm in her head and stopping her breathing on the spot.

"This was worse than I thought." She said in a worried tone.


	11. Chapter 11

_With Team Rocket_

"That Hunter hussy had a lot of nerve sending us flying like that!" Jessie said still angry.

"Calm down Jessie, it's nothing worth getting upset over." James said trying to calm down his partner.

"Yeah I mean it isn't the first time we've been sent flying by some random stranger." Meowth said.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said with a salute.

"I don't care, If I ever see her again I'll rip that silver haired head right off her body!" Jessie seethed. James, Meowth and Wobbuffet shivered at the red head's comment.

"Jessie look I think-" "GO AWAY!" Team Rocket jumped at the sudded scream they just heard and looked down from their balloon to see Ash and Twilight with a group of people in front of them.

"The Twerp and the New Twerpette." Meowth said. Jessie turned her gaze to Twilight who looked absolutely livid.

"She looks pissed." Jessie commented.

"Shall we take a closer look?" James asked. Jessie and Meowth nodded and they began landing the balloon.

 _Pokemon: Advanced_

 _Narrator: We finally return to the present and we comeback to a very angry Twilight Sparkle glaring at a few old 'friends'_

"Twily please, we just-" "I SAID GO!" Twilight screamed not letting her brother finish his sentence. Ash, along with Pikachu and Twi's Pokemon, were in a state of disbelief. Though they only traveled for a short while, he had never seen Twilight act like this before, nor did they ever think they would.

"Twilight?" He asked quietly. Twilight's eyes widened a bit and she turned to Ash and the Pokemon. Ash and Pikachu both had worried looks on their faces, while Marill and Budew looked at her as if Twilight was a complete stranger.. Twilight's face softened a bit after she saw this and kneeled down to her Pokemon.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you two like that." she said giving Marill and Budew a hug. They were relieved to see her slightly more at ease, but were still confused by their trainer's hostility. Twilight gently put them down and smiled. "I'll explain later." She could tell they were confused, and it was apparent why. She then turned back to her brother, her mentor and her 'friends. "I don't care why you are here and I don't care what you want. Right now, what I want to know….is how you all found me?" She asked in an icy tone. The group in front of Twilight flinched a bit, but Celestia stepped forward.

"Dearest Twilight, I know you're mad but-" "Mad? Mad!? Get to the point your Highness, because I'm in no mood for your pleasantries." Twilight said harshly. Ash knew that was out of line and he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Twi, c'mon. At least give them a chance." He said trying to calm her down. He looked at the group of strangers with curiosity. They seemed like decent enough people, though he had a feeling, based on what Twi had told he that these people weren't exactly residents of Hoenn. Are these really the ones that made Twilight so….upset.

"Pika pika." Pikachu said with the same concern in his voice.

"But-" "I get it. Really I do." Ash said before turning to Twilight's 'family' with a neutral look on his face.

"So these are the people from that wedding you told me about?" Ash asked looking back the Twilight who gave a small nod. Marill and Budew were still confused and Pikachu for the first time kept his thoughts to himself. Ash walked over to Shining Armor.

"My name's Ash Ketchum, I've been travelling with Twilight for a few days now." He said keeping a neutral tone. Shining Armor narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"My name's Shining Armor and I'm her brother." He said in a stern tone. Seeing as how he had no idea where he was or what people from this world are like, we was understandably cautious of the boy, but Ash wasn't intimidated, he crossed his arms and stared at Twilight's brother.

"So you're the brother I've heard about. I can't really say I'm honored." He continued with a condescending look . Shining gritted his teeth, but before he could say anything back….

"Backup creep!" Rainbow Dash said before shoving Ash away. Ash staggered back a bit but kept his balance and glared at the Rainbow haired girl.

"Hey! What's your deal Skittles!?" Ash asked with a growl. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and also glared at Rainbow.

"PIKA PIKA!" Pikachu said as his cheeks sparked. The group in front of Ash and Pikachu took a step back, seeing the visible sparks emanate from the Pokemon.

"Gah! You keep that rodent away from us!" Rarity said dramatically as she and the other mentally questioned what this little mouse even was. Pikachu didn't take kindly to that comment, and seemingly neither did Marill.

" _If you don't shock her, I'll soak her!"_ Marill said a slight growl. Ash put a hand up signaling the two mouse pokemon to stand down looking back at the group as he kept his hand up.

"I'd advise you not to call my friend a rodent, miss. He doesn't take kindly to insults!" Ash said with a slight growl.

"PIKA!" Pikachu said.

"That's enough!" Celestia said walking in front of Shining and Rainbow.

"We didn't come here to start a fight." Celestia continued with a *sigh* "We came to apologize Twilight." She said in a attempt calm everyone down. Twilight looked at her former mentor with a raised eyebrow.

"Apologize? Apologize for what? If I'm not mistaken, I was the one who ruined your precious wedding." Twilight said with a glare. The Equestrian group flinched. With a bow Celestia tried to keep her center of gravity, and continued what she had been waiting to say.

"We were wrong….We were oh so very wrong and you didn't deserve any of what we said to you." Celestia said looking down. Applejack then walked up and took of her hat.

"She's right, Sugarcube, please hear us out." She said. Twilight didn't know what to say, what they were talking about, and especially how she should be feeling. The last thing she anticipated was everypony coming to her, that they would be the ones apologizing. It made her heart twist inside her chest. She clung to the only emotion she could understand besides confusion, which was anger. And as Twilight was about to give her 'friends' another earful, Ash quickly put another hand on her shoulder.

"Twi, look, you have every right to be mad, but you should hear them out, at least for now." Ash said trying to calm the equestrian girl down. Twilight stared at him for a few seconds and was about to refuse, but she noticed Marill and Budew still looking at her with concern. Twilight then took a deep breath,

"I'm only doing this for you two." She lied to herself and everyone else, before turning back to her friends. She wanted to hear them out, yet at the same time, wanted to be as far as cosmically possible from them. She wanted to know what they wanted, but at the same time, she couldn't care less. What she definitely didn't want, was for them to know she still cared. "Fine what do you want?" Twilight asked harshly. Before Celestia could speak up Cadance walked in front of her.

"I think I can answer that." She said. Twilight stared at Cadance for a good minute before looking down at the ground and balling her hands into fist. She remembered what she saw that day, what she said, what she did. Is this what they wanted, for her to apologize? To bring back what she had been avoiding for as long as she could. It was weird. They all looked so different. She looked so different. But when she saw Cadence there, she knew it was her. There was something different in the way she spoke, and the way she looked at her, but she could never not recognize Cadence.

"I...I'm sorry I made you cry Princess Caden-" Twilight's sentence, as emotional and tear filled as it was, was cut short when Cadance wrapped her arms around her and held her close.

"Don't apologize, you have no reason to." Cadance said. Twilight felt strange, she felt as if she was in the arms of her old babysitter again, that the wedding had never but she quickly came back into reality. Her brain tangled up again, and she was more confused than ever.

"I...wait…. this is wrong, Why are...why are you being so...?" Twilight asked, pushing Cadance away from her, partially out of confusion, partially out of fear, and partially because the embrace felt like hoof-bumping an old bully. Out of place and awkward .

"Twilight listen to me, you were right. Just let me explain what happened." Cadance pleaded. Twilight just looked at her, at Cadance. Even in this new form, she could tell something was different, but she didn't want to believe it, that she was somehow right in some way.

"Why….why should I?" She asked coldly. Cadence thought for a minute and there was only one way she could convince Twilight. She then got on all fours and proceeded to do a strange dance.

"Sunshine Sunshine, ladybugs awake." Twilight's eyes widened at this. "Clap your hooves-" "And do a little shake." Twilight said finishing Cadance's rhyme breathlessly. Sure, the dance looked just as childish and about a dozen times more awkward when she was looking like this, but Twilight could never forget those memories. She knew deep down that neither of them could . Ash, Pikachu, Marill and Budew were very confused by the this little exchange, but Twilight knew and she gave the older girl a small smile.

"You have five minutes." She said, deceptively hostile despite the grin. Cadance smiled back at her and began telling Twilight, Ash, and their Pokemon what's been happening in Equestria. From the day she was captured to Arceus defeating Chrysalis, and Twilight's eyes were wide once Cadence began to when she got to the end of her story, as were Ash's. He knew Equestria was an odd place, but that was on a whole other level.

"Ok, hold on. Let me get this-" "Hey! This has got nothing to do with you kid!" Rainbow said glaring at Ash. "Like hell it doesn't, Twilight's my friend too." Ash said not backing down.

"You don't even know her!" Applejack asserted judgmentally, stepping forward.

"True. We've only been traveling for a few days, but she trusted me with her secret, who she really is and what exactly happened to her, past and all. And I don't care! No matter where she is from or what she really is, Twilight is Twilight." Ash said in a confident tone. Twilight said nothing but appreciated Ash's words internally. "So like it or not I'm involved and all I have to say is...you all got lucky." Ash said crossing his arms. The equestrians looked to the boy with wide eyes.

"What was that?" Rainbow said through gritted teeth.

"I mean everything that happened could have been avoided if you had just listened." Ash said in a stern tone. Rainbow quickly walked up and grabbed Ash by his collar.

"I'm getting really tired of you lecturing us. We know we messed up so we don't need you standing there telling us that." She growled. Ash didn't flinch.

"You have a real funny way of admitting it." He said. Rainbow reached her limit and reeled back her hand. She didn't quite get this whole "hands" thing, but she was pretty damn sure she could make them hurt. But before she could explode on him, with everyone else watching in disbelief as she was setting up her blow….

"Dashie, what are you-" Pinkie began, but she couldn't do anything about it.

"THAT'S IT!" Rainbow yelled. As Rainbow's fist planned a course to connect with Ash's face, it was stopped by Twilight.

"Don't you DARE touch him!" She seethed before slapping Rainbow across the face, causing her to fall to the ground out of shock. Everyone but Ash gasped at what Twilight had done, Ash just looking wordlessly at her. Rainbow, now slumped over on the floor looked up at Twilight, now holding her reddened cheek.

"...Twilight…" Rainbow said in a mix of shock, regret, and sadness. Even Twi in her angered state recognized that Dash almost never called her 'Twilight', but she wasn't in the mood to care. She didn't regret what she did, even when her brain had a chance to catch up with her palm, and she looked back to the rest of the group.

"So….I was right. The Cadance there was an evil fake and she almost destroyed Canterlot..." She recapped. Cadance and Celestia nodded, the latter barely having the mental power to move at all. After a few seconds of silence, Twilight spoke up again. "Well I'm glad I left when I did." She said coldly. Everyone was shocked by her words, before they could respond though she continued.

"But….I am glad Princess Luna found the real Cadence...and that everypony else is ok." She then looked to Cadance. "I'm glad you're ok, I missed you so much. So is that all you wanted to tell me or is there more?" Twilight asked. The equestrians excluding Cadance, Luna and Fluttershy all looked at her with wide eyes.

"Twilight...we want you to come home." Shining Armor said walking forward. Twilight knew this part of the conversation was coming and she knew exactly how she was going to handle it.

"And I should care about what you want why?" Twilight asked crossing her arms. Ash flinched for Shining Armor after that question and Pikachu, Marill and Budew we're doing much better.

" _Damn, that was worse than a Sheer Cold."_ Marill whispered.

" _I know right, I didn't take Twilight for an Ice Type."_ Pikachu said.

" _I'm still having a hard time keeping up with what's going on."_ Budew said slightly confused.

" _We'll explain later, Budew. Just Pay attention."_ Marill said. Budew nodded and continued watching. Shining didn't back down from his sister.

"Twily please, think about all you're leaving behind by staying here." He said.

"The only things I can think of are Mom, Dad Princess Luna and Cadance and I'm sure if you explain the situation to Mom and Dad 'TRUTHFULLY' then I'm sure they will understand." Twilight said crossing her arms. Shining Armor was taken aback by this, he knew that he and the girls hurt her but not this badly.

"But what about us, you're friends, teacher and brother?" He asked. Twilight gritted her teeth and got into her brother's face.

"I'm going to make this perfectly clear." She pointed to Celestia. "She's not my teacher Anymore!" Celestia had a horrified look on her face after that, Twilight then Pointed to the Mane 5. "They are not my Friends!" The Mane 5 except Fluttershy flinched at her words. Fluttershy already knew she wasn't worthy of Twilight's forgiveness...at least not yet. Twilight then looked into her brother's eyes with tears coming out of her own. Ash knew where this was going to lead and he wasn't about to let it happen. "And you are most definitely not my Bro-" Twilight sentence was stopped by Ash putting a hand over her mouth, but the damage was done. Shining Armor knew exactly what she was going to say and it devastated him.

"Twi don't say stuff like that, you'll end up saying something you'll regret." Ash said taking his hand off Twilight's mouth only for her anger to go towards him.

"But I won't, that's what you don't get! Other than Cadance and Princess Luna, I could care less about the people in front of me right now! Don't I deserve to say what I feel, Don't I deserve to tell them off!?" She asked balling her hand into a fist. Cadance and Ash could feel the pain coming off of Twilight.

"Twi-" "NO!" Twilight closed her eyes and tightened her fist. "I'm done with them, I'm done with Equestria, I'm JUST DONE!" With that final word, the element of Magic began to glow and after a few seconds a huge shockwave was released from it causing everyone but Twilight to fall to the ground. Twilight then opened her eyes to see the everyone around her on the ground and unconscious. "What...what did I- Mary, Budew!" She said running over to her partners. She quickly picked them up and tried to wake them up.

"Uuuuuhh…" Twilight looked behind her to see Ash waking up.

"What the hell hit me?" He asked rubbing his head.

"Ash, are you ok?" She asked running over to him.

"UGH! Other than the splitting headache, I'm go- Pikachu!" Ash aid seeing his partner unconscious on the ground. Ash picked his partner up. "Hey buddy wake up." He said slowly shaking his partner.

"Ash I'm so sorry I didn't...I just...I...I.." Twilight couldn't find the words for her apology. Ash put a hand on the equestria girls shoulders.

"It's ok Twi, don't worry." Ash said with a small smile. He then looked over to Twilight's 'friends'. "What should we do about them?" Ash asked. Twilight also looked at them and glared.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Come on, let's get to Petalburg City. The sooner I get away from them the better." Just a Twilight finished that sentence, Cadance's eyes slowly began to open and she heard Twilight and Ash talking.

"Are you sure?" Ash asked.

"Yes, like I said I'm done with all of them! They can all rot in Tartarus for all I care!" Twilight said Coldly. Cadance heard the malice in Twilight voice and she could tell this was far worse than she thought. Ash could literally feel the anger coming off of Twilight and he didn't like that.

"Twilight I-" Ash DON'T! Just don't….please." Twilight said cutting the boy off. Cadance wanted to get up and hug Twilight, but her body was still hurting. Ash sighed and nodded.

"Ok come on, the map says we have to head north." He said. Twilight nodded and the duo walked off birth from the center and 'Twilight's friends'. Cadance saw the the look in Twilight's eyes before she walked away, it was a mixture of anger and sadness.

" _I knew them coming here was a bad idea,they just made it worse. Lord Arceus said that boy could help her, but he...can't do it...alone!"_ Cadance thought as she slowly picked herself off the ground and slowly began walking in the direction Ash and Twilight went. " _I'm coming Twilight."_

 _Timeskip, With Ash and Twilight._

About 3 hours had passed since Twilight and Ash left the Pokemon Center, And for said three hours, the two walked side by side in silence, Twilight deep in her thoughts and Ash in his as well, with the occasional turn to see if Twilight was still ok, and some slight updates on directions and how close they were to Petalburg. Twilight didn't seem to interested in the updates, barely nodding to indicate she heard, but not appearing enthused. It was all Ash could think of thought to break the crippling tension. However, both trainer's attentions were soon promptly stolen

"Pi..ka?" Ash quickly looked down and saw his partner waking up.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Ash said in a happy tone.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu said nuzzling his trainer. Twilight gave a small smile and felt Marill and Budew stirring in her arms.

"Seems you're awake to." She added solemnly.

"Dew?"

"Mar?"

Both Pokemon noticed the distinct change in surroundings, but more importantly, the tone of mental exhaustion in their trainer's voice. Even Budew could notice something had clearly happened after the dispute Twilight was just in, and all she had truly registered were screams. Twilight on the other hand, looked at her clearly confused Pokemon, and closed her eyes, just imaging what they, and especially Budew were thinking after…all that.

"Mary, Budew I'm so sorry." Twilight said hugging her partners. Budew and Marill were both confused by their trainers apology. Pikachu was Also confused.

" _What the heck happened!?"_ Pikachu asked rubbing his head.

" _Heck if i know, last thing I remember is a bright flash of light."_ Marill said.

" _And then we were knocked out."_ Budew said. Ash then looked to Twilight.

"They look pretty confused, maybe we should explain. It's your story...so….um…you should-" "I get it Ash!" Twilight said cutting the boy off. Ash nodded and Twilight looked to the Pokemon.

"I need to tell you all something about me." Twilight said with a sigh. Twilight and Ash sat underneath a tree and Twilight began to explain her origin, her fight with her friends and who she ended up in this world. Once she was finished explaining, Pikachu, Marill and Budew all stared at her with wide eyes.

" _I've heard weirder stories."_ Pikachu said shrugging his arms. Marill and Budew both looked at the yellow mouse with raised eyebrows.

" _What, me and Ash have been through alot and there are so many adventures that you wouldn't believe we've had."_ Pikachu said. Twilight looked at the Pokemon and knew that they didn't believe her.

"Listen, I know I sound crazy but that's my life." Twilight said looking down. Marill looked back at her partner and jumped into her arms.

"Mar Mar Marill." Marill said nuzzling her. Ash smiled.

"Marill seems to believes you." He said.

"Mary...do you?" Twilight asked the blue mouse. Marill looked up and nodded. Twilight smiled and Marill and then looked to Budew.

"Budew?" She asked. Budew was still thinking this over, on one hand she thought she was crazy but on the other she sounded so sad and hurt when Twilight was explaining the story. Budew then looked to her trainer and she jumped into her arms.

"Dew!" She said with a smile.

"We'll that's that! Looks like your partners are with you pony or not." Ash said.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said jumping onto Ash's shoulder. Twilight hugged her pokemon.

"You both are amazing." Twilight said before her frown came back. Ash had noticed, and looked down in a brief moment of reflection on the scenario, before turning back to Pikachu.

"Go with Marill and Budew over by those bushes for a minute, would ya buddy?" Pikachu, raised an eyebrow, but as Ash jerked his head in Twi's direction, the pieces snapped into place in the Electric type's head. He jumped of Ash's shoulders, before running up to the other two, looking up in Twilight's arms, and with a wave and a call, Marill quickly jumped to the ground, followed by a slightly more reserved Budew, and slowly trotted away. Twilight clearly noticed this, but as she watched them walked off, she just put her head down once again, returning her mind to her earlier issue. Ash took a deep breath, and walked over to a still kneeling Twilight.

"They really do care about you…" Ash spoke down to the crouched trainer.

"I know...I don't know how I got so lucky...after just a few days…" Twi replied with slight chuckle, turning over to look at her Pokemon by the bushes, who seemed to be having their own little conversation.

"I wasn't talking about them…" Ash correct her, causing Twi to go wide-eyed, before closing her eyes and tilting her head down once again. She wanted to turn to him and yell...she didn't want to yell at him though, one part of her knew she had to talk about this with someone and the other part of her was wrong…

"I...I know...but...it still doesn't feel that way." Twilight lamented, Ash not doing anything but listening. She was letting everything out the proper way. The way that didn't involve punching or yelling.

"I know that...that no matter what they still care...but I still...I still don't feel...like I should forgive them? Is that how I feel? Am I just mad at...at nothing? Why does it feel like they don't care still?" Before she could even process her emotions and finish the avalanche of anxiety logic, she could see the tears falling from her face before feeling them run down her cheek. She just retreated into her mind as quickly as she began to speak. But before she kept going, a hand was on her back, and a quick turn out of reflex showed to her Ash, now also kneeling beside her.

"Twi. Don't expect to figure out how to deal with your feelings immediately. You're just gonna panic yourself to death." He advised with a warm smile. Twi just looked at him for a couple seconds, frozen as she put her head in order and looked forward again, now with a stable conscience, at least relative to earlier.

"It...it just feels like...I _should_ be mad...I _am_ mad...at least...I think I am." She began, trying to rationalize her thoughts like a puzzle, each emotion like a piece that needed to be in place.

"They are my friends...I thought it would be that way forever...It seems kinda stupid in hindsight but...but I just can't…. _look_ at them right now. Especially here, especially like this. I know, I _know_ they did this cause they care...but all I see is them ruining what was supposed to make me forget about them, and...it just makes me feel like I just made everything worse…"

Ash just sat there. He didn't dare interrupt her….at least for now.

"I knew something was wrong...I knew it, but…But ever since I got here...and the more I thought about what happened that day...I just wanted less and less to be right. I justed wanted to be wrong...and get out of their way…" She continued, eyes squeezed shut.

"Twilight…"

"I agreed to come here cause I felt unwanted...I still do...but before it was almost like a reward...like I was too good for them...and the more I thought about it, and the more I thought about them, I just hoped that I WAS being paranoid...cause that would just mean I got what I deserved. That I don't have to...burden them? I guess that's the right word…"

Both just sat there...quiet. Twilight just thought about the word. "Burdened".

"Heh, I've never wanted to be incorrect so much in my life…" She chuckled, more tears in her eyes.

"Cause now not only is my brother's marriage ruined…"

"...but I ran away...and didn't do anything to save it…"

She was still smiling, but a steady flow of tears ran down her cheeks, as she let her actions sink in. Ash just looked at her, thinking of something to say, anything.

"I know I still tried at least….that I said _something_...and nopony listened...but all that means is I've lost everything...my brother, my mentor, and my friends...cause I can't make myself forgive them right now, but I know I'm wrong...I lost everything…"

…

…

…

"...Not everything"

Ash noted, smiling at the purple-haired girl. She turned to him, done with her lament and expecting a different type of response.

"I still think you can make things right with them...but at least for now, you have us." Ash continued, gesturing to her Pokemon, intently looking at the exchange from a few meters away.

"We may not be much…" Ash started with slight smirk. "...but it's clear that those guys back there aren't the only friends that care about you."

"Ash…"

"I can't tell you how to feel. Honestly...that's never been my strength. But I can tell you that you obviously need to clear your head. No matter the reason you came here, you're here now. You just need to get things settled in your head and loosen up a bit." Ash reassured her. Twilight took in what he said. She clearly didn't know how to be feeling right now...the emotions in her head just making her dizzy.

"I...I think you're right."

"I'm putting in an honest effort." He said with a smile. Twilight just giggled and turned to her Pokemon.

"* _Sigh_ * I'm sorry for...lashing out. I've been holding all that in for...awhile now. I didn't know whether or not to say it...but I knew if I did say it...it would've gone something like that." She addressed to Ash.

"Yeah, well. You were feeling some...cleary intense feelings."

"Definitely." Twilight confirmed with another audible sigh.

"But what I realized is...whether or not I'm mad at them or...or myself right now...That doesn't matter right now. I just need some distance from all of that...so hopefully you won't mind me sticking around a bit longer." She finished, turning to Ash with the first genuine smile she's worn for awhile.

"Heh, I'll think about it." He beamed.

"Oh, shut it."

 _With Team Rocket_

Both Jessie and James were on the ground crying their eyes out.

"That poor girl!" Jessie said pounding her fist on the ground.

"I feel her pain, my family is exactly the same!" James said tightening his fist. Meowth was watching the two from their balloon.

"While I find this whole thing ridiculous, I must admit I kinda feel bad for that Twilight girl." He said.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said with a salute.

"You too huh?" Meowth asked.

"Wobbu!" Wobbuffet said with a nod. Jessie and James then stood up and walked over to there balloon.

"Are you both done?" Meowth asked.

"Yes sorry, that was just a lot to take in. to think that young girl has gone through so much." James said looking down. Jessie nodded in agreement.

"Eh it's fine, I get it. So what now?" Meowth asked.

"Same as we always do catch Pikachu and as a added bonus that Marill." Jessie said int a cheerful tone.

"That's what I'm talking about!" James Cheered.

"Yea, two mice for the price of one." Meowth said.

"Wobbuffet!"

 _With Cadance_

It had been a few hour and Cadance had no idea where she was going.

"It's getting dark, darn it! I should have at least took aunt Luna." Cadance said before resting under a tree.

"Twilight where are you?" She said in a sad tone.

"Um excuse me, are you ok?" Cadance looked up to see young man with spiky brown hair, light brown skin and wearing a black short sleeve jacket.

"Oh I'm just-" "WHOA! Such a beauty, tell me my dear what name has Arceus blessed you with?" The man asked. Cadance blushed at the man's words and spoke up. "Um...it's Cadance." She said.

"Cadance such a beautiful name for such a beautiful woman. My name is Brock and it's a pleasure to meet you."


End file.
